A/N: So sorry it took me a longer than expected to get this chapter finished… but thanks once again to my beta readers and to all of you who've been enjoying this story! This will be the final chapter with an epilogue to come, and possibly a sequel in the works. I hope you enjoy it!

Two weeks later, Kanda found himself sitting cross-legged on Daisya's bed and watching him carefully walk across his room and back. Regaining his strength had become a top priority, and though he tired very easily his determination was evident to all. That was why he'd taken to slowly walking back and forth across his room, small as it was, trying to win back what his injuries and illness had taken from him.

Finally, he gave up and flopped down onto his bed, sweaty and out of breath. "That's enough for today," he groaned, forcing himself to sit up and stretch so his muscles didn't stiffen.

Kanda nodded slightly, watching but staying silent. By all rights things should have been awkward between them, but Daisya had been wonderful – he'd been up front and honest, he hadn't danced around the issue, and he'd made sure Kanda knew he wasn't screwing around. Kanda appreciated that more than he'd ever say, but outwardly he simply accepted it with the same stoicism as everything else in his life.

"Don't forget to drink that," he said, pointing at a pitcher of water on the desk.

Daisya looked over and sighed. "Yeah, I know," he muttered. "Haven't forgotten." The water contained special herbs meant to help him restore his endurance and strengthen his immune system, and Kanda was strict as hell about making him drink it. He looked up at Kanda and smiled, laying back down so he was stretched out with his head in the Japanese boy's lap. "Gonna rest a bit, though."

Kanda shrugged. "Fine," he said, letting one hand drop lightly to play with Daisya's hair. He was still unfamiliar and horribly skittish with the whole situation, but the older exorcist's patience and calm reassurances were beginning to win him over. He was still having a hard time ignoring the voice in the back of his mind that told him to get the hell out while he could, but it was slowly starting to die away.

Daisya yawned and reached for one of his blankets, tugging it up to his chin and closing his eyes contentedly. "So what're you skippin' out on to be here with me, anyway? Surely you've got somethin' you're supposed to be doin'."

"Making sure you don't do anything stupid," Kanda replied, yawning a bit himself. It was late, and he'd wanted to be asleep hours ago… but Daisya was determined to keep at it. "Drink your water."

"Yes, Mom," Daisya mocked. He sat up and stretched again, then carefully made his way to the desk and poured a glass of water. "I feel a little better today, actually."

Kanda lifted his gaze from the bed and examined Daisya critically. He'd always been slim and athletic, but the illness had left him far too thin and had taken most of the muscle tone. "You don't look better," he finally said, frowning. "You're still not eating enough."

Daisya laughed and polished off the water, setting the glass down and making his way back to the bed. "I think I've eaten more in the past two weeks than I have in the past two months. Between you, Lavi, Bookman, and the doctors – I get fed plenty, trust me." He settled back down and looked up at Kanda with a wicked grin. "You don't want me to get fat, do you?"

"Hmph!" Kanda looked away, indignant. "You know that's not what this is about."

"No, but teasing you is too much fun to resist," the older boy said, laughing once more. "You're so pretty when you blush!"

Kanda looked back at him, surprised, then fixed him with a glare. "Shut up!"

Daisya chuckled and reached up, trailing his fingers lightly over Kanda's cheek and jaw. "Better get used to it," he said, blue eyes warm with affection. "I like teasing you."

"You're lucky I haven't run you through," Kanda muttered, forced to turn his gaze. Daisya hid nothing, and Kanda was uncomfortable with the idea of another human being sharing his heart so thoroughly when he couldn't bring himself to do the same. It wasn't that he didn't love Daisya – it was because he did love him that he was afraid to reach out.

"Ah, you wouldn't do that to me!" Daisya replied, pouting. "Then who'd keep you warm at night?"

Kanda's cheeks burned. "I was perfectly fine before," he replied, struggling not to snap. "I'll just take your blankets, since you won't need them."

Daisya's pout intensified, and he pushed himself up to brush his lips lightly against Kanda's. "Well, I'll just hafta give you a reason to not wanna sleep alone!"

"Daisya," Kanda replied, his voice holding a warning. Don't push me too far.

The older boy chuckled and settled down again, yawning. "Mm. I'm tired. You wanna go to bed now?"

"I wanted to awhile ago," Kanda grumbled.

Daisya laughed and shifted again, restless as always. "All right, sorry! I just wanted to go a little more… y'know, so I can regain my strength faster."

Kanda shoved him off his lap as carefully as he could manage, then stood and stretched out sore legs. "Fine, I'm going to bed," he said. "I'll come back in the morning after my own training."

Daisya's voice stopped him just as he put his hand on the doorknob. "Hey, Kanda…" When he glanced over his shoulder, Daisya continued. "Tomorrow morning, do you think… well, can I go outside with you? 's been awhile, and I'm tired of bein' stuck in here."

Kanda nodded slightly. "I'll come get you at dawn."

Daisya smiled at him, standing once more and walking unsteadily over to him. "Thanks," he murmured, wrapping his arms around his waist and resting his cheek against his shoulder.

Kanda tensed for a moment, then relaxed and reached down, lightly resting his hand on his arm. "You're welcome."

Daisya leaned up and brushed a soft kiss against his jaw, then pulled away and yawned. "See you in the morning, then."

As promised, Kanda returned to Daisya's room at dawn. He knocked at the door, but when no answer came he frowned and made an impatient sound. Probably still asleep, he thought scornfully. He opened the door slightly and peeked in, then sighed and went inside. "Daisya!" he called, slightly irritated. "Are you coming with me?"

Daisya stirred and rolled over to face Kanda, blue eyes opening slowly. "Mm… Kanda? Oh, shit!" He sat up quickly, then gasped in pain and put his hand to his side. "Ngh!"

Kanda hurried over to him, concerned and doing his very best to hide it. "Idiot," he murmured, kneeling and looking up at him. "You overslept."

"Sorry," the older boy muttered, rubbing his eyes and raking his hands through his hair. "Kept waking up."

The Japanese exorcist frowned slightly and reached up to lightly brush his fingers against Daisya's cheek. "You don't have to worry."

Daisya looked down at him and smiled wearily. "I know. I just… heh. It's nothin', I'm fine. Well, sorry I slept in – don't wanna make you any later for your training than you already are."

Kanda stood and shook his head. "Stay here. Get some more rest."

The older boy looked up at him in surprise. "What? No way! I wanna go outside."

"It's cold," Kanda pointed out.

Daisya paused a moment, then shook his head and smiled. "Don't care. I want to go out." He pushed the covers back and slid out of bed, yawning and stretching as he did so. "Mm… 's not so bad."

Kanda stared for a moment, then crossed his arms and glowered. "Daisya. You're going to the cafeteria first, at least." He resisted the urge to add on, which you should have done before I got here.

"Huh?" Daisya looked over at him curiously, arms still over his head, then grinned mischievously. He stretched again, languidly this time, purposely arching his back so that his shirt would hike up further.

Kanda's eyes widened briefly and then he looked away, scowling. "Idiot! What the hell are you doing? Haven't you wasted enough time already?"

Daisya's grin widened. "Just tryin' to wake up. Well, gimme a second to get dressed an' we'll go."

Kanda turned around, fighting the urge to blush and instead glaring at the wall. How could he have forgotten how very much Daisya enjoyed playing tricks on people? He'd typically left well enough alone when it came to Kanda, but now it seemed that he'd outgrown his immunity.

He was so lost in his own thoughts that Daisya startled him when he touched his arm. The older boy looked up at him curiously, and Kanda's heart clenched when he saw the familiar coat… and the bandages underneath. "Well?" Daisya asked curiously. "Are we goin'?"

"Yes," Kanda snapped, turning away abruptly. He closed his eyes for a second to compose himself, then glanced over his shoulder. "Do you need help?"

Daisya grinned wryly. "If you don't mind every Finder in the Order whispering about you letting me hold your hand or lean on you."

Kanda did in fact mind, but he wasn't about to tell Daisya that. "Fine," was all he said, keeping his voice neutral. He offered the older exorcist his hand, and when Daisya took it and laced their fingers together, he couldn't help but feel warm inside… he really was glad that the older boy was awake and well.

As Daisya had predicted, there were indeed people giving him odd looks as the two slowly made their way through the halls. The older boy's smile and steadfast courage seemed to take attention away from the fact that Kanda of all people was supporting him and helping him along, and that was yet another thing he was thankful for. People might stop to say hello to Daisya, but they wouldn't give Kanda more than a brief nod – and that was how he liked it.

Or so he thought.

By the time they reached the cafeteria, however, Daisya was angry. "Are they always like that to you?" he demanded.

"Usually," Kanda replied with a shrug, steering him to an empty table. "I don't care. They're just… here."

"Kanda!" Daisya was glaring, that was never a good sign. "You seriously don't care? They hardly looked at you!"

The Japanese boy sighed slightly. "They're concerned for you," he said gruffly. "I don't matter much in that regard. Now, sit down and let me get your food."

Daisya sat, but he looked unhappy. Kanda stifled another sigh and walked away, and when he returned the older boy was still glowering. He pushed Daisya's tray in front of him and sat across from him, setting his own down and once again resisting the urge to sigh. "What?" he asked impatiently.

"Nothin'," the older exorcist murmured, picking up his spoon and setting into his breakfast. "Just… knew you didn't like people around, but didn't know they treated you that way."

"I don't give them a reason not to," the Japanese boy replied flatly. "They are what they are, and I am what I am."

"And that makes it easier?" Daisya looked at him and shrugged. "If that's how you want it, fine… 's your life." He poked at his porridge for a moment, then looked up again, his eyes cautiously shadowed. "You sure you want me around?"

Kanda glared at him. "How can you even ask that?"

Daisya smiled sadly. "'cause I know you don't like people. Don't get me wrong, I'm real glad you've… you know, let me in. I just… don't wanna intrude if you're not sure."

"Daisya." Kanda glowered down at his food, then shook his head. "You're different. It's not like that with you. It's never been."

The older boy held his gaze for a long moment, then nodded and went back to his food. "The way I see it," he said between bites, "is that you think the more friends you have, the easier it'll be to get hurt… right?"

Kanda's glare intensified. "Can we drop this subject now?"

Daisya shook his head. "Hear me out," he entreated. "You keep people at arms' length… you always have. Tiedoll treated us all like his kids, y'know, an'… me an' Marie, we're the only ones you let remotely close – me more than Marie. Nobody else, though. Why?"

"They aren't worth it," Kanda muttered, poking at his rice irritably with his chopsticks. "You are."

"Heh. Me? Dunno 'bout that." Daisya took another bite of his porridge, thoughtful. "Dunno why it never occurred to me before, but… you must be lonely."

Kanda looked up, surprised, then shook his head. "No."

"No?" Daisya smiled faintly. "What would you have done if I'd died?"

His stomach twisted into a hard knot, and Kanda stared down at his half-eaten bowl of rice, fearful that the rest of it might make a reappearance. He squeezed his eyes closed, then stood abruptly and did the only thing he could think to do at all.

He fled.

Daisya stared after him, then sighed and put his head in his hands. Why do I always say stupid stuff? He wondered angrily. I need to learn to keep my mouth shut!

"Daisya!" a familiar voice called. Daisya looked up to see Lenalee and Lavi walking towards him, both smiling. He couldn't help but smile back, at least until Lavi gave the abandoned food across from him a strange look.

"Someone sittin' here?" the redhead asked curiously.

"Not anymore," Daisya muttered, glancing away. "'s fine."

Lenalee sat next to him and gazed at him sympathetically. "Kanda nearly knocked us over on his way out. Is everything all right?"

Daisya smiled wanly. "I said somethin' stupid, no big surprise there. He'll forgive me eventually."

Lavi chuckled and pushed Kanda's tray aside. "Seems like it's easy to make Yuu mad," he observed. "Don't worry 'bout it too much."

"He was so worried about you," Lenalee said, putting her hand on Daisya's shoulder and smiling encouragingly at him. "He'll get over it."

"Yeah, hopefully," Daisya replied, feeling a bit better. He went back to his porridge – a little cold now – and turned his attention to Lavi. "So, how're you gettin' along here?"

The redhead beamed. "'s great! The library's awesome, an' of course figurin' out how t' use my Innocence… I'm havin' a lotta fun! Panda says we'll be goin' out on missions soon so I can start takin' records."

Daisya smiled faintly as he listened to Lavi and Lenalee talk, but mostly he kept to himself. Dark eyes widening in shock and pain, then closing as their owner stood and left – that was all he seemed to be able to think about. I can't believe I said that to him, the brunet thought glumly. How could I be such a jerk after all he's been through 'cause of me? I'll be surprised if he speaks to me again, really…

"Daisya," a gentle voice said in his ear. The older boy jumped and looked over, then sighed when he saw Lenalee smiling at him.

"Sorry, sorry," he muttered. "I'm off in my own little world this morning, I guess."

Lenalee smiled and shook her head. "It's all right. Lavi and I were wondering if you might like to take a walk outside."

Daisya hesitated. "Um…"

Lavi leaned forward over his tray, looking a bit anxious. "If you'd rather go look for Yuu we understand, but we thought it might make you feel better t' get outta here for a bit."

Daisya smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it would, but I better go face up… otherwise this'll be hangin' over my head 'til he comes outta hiding, and who knows how long that'll be?"

He rose slowly from the table, still a bit unsteady on his feet, and picked up his tray with an apologetic smile. "Maybe tomorrow, yeah?"

"Sure, yeah," Lavi replied, smiling back. "Don't push it!"

Lenalee nodded, still looking vaguely worried. "Take care, Daisya."

Carefully, Daisya made his way out of the cafeteria and into the hallway. He was already breathing hard, and his brows were furrowed in irritation. I should be stronger now, he thought angrily, forcing himself away from the wall and towards the stairs that led outside. Dammit! This's stupid! How long am I gonna hafta wait until I can be myself again?

By the time Daisya made it to the gates, he was absolutely exhausted. He sagged back against a pillar and slid down, tears of frustration stinging his eyes. A month ago I was killin' Akuma like it was nothin', an' now I can barely walk the hallways… on top of that, people keep starin'… I hate these bandages, but I can't take 'em off. I'd rather people wonder why I wear 'em than see what I look like without.

He closed his eyes, intending to rest for just a moment… and fell deeply asleep within seconds.

When he woke, Daisya found himself being cradled close to a strong, warm body as someone carried him through the hallways. He was momentarily confused and struggled a bit, but a familiar voice cut through the fog like a knife.

"Stop struggling, Daisya. It's just me."

Daisya looked up, surprised, and bit his lip. "Kanda… I was lookin' for you, but…"

Kanda made an impatient sound and kept walking. "You wore yourself out, idiot. You're lucky I found you when I came inside, otherwise you would have caught your death of cold."

The knife in his chest twisted, and Daisya looked down glumly. "Sorry. Seems like I'm doin' a great job at bein' a total idiot today."

When Daisya was back in his room and resting on his bed, poncho draped over a nearby chair, Kanda turned to go without saying much. "I'll come get you for dinner," he said, reaching for the door.

"Wait!" Daisya cried, pushing himself off of the bed. He staggered over to Kanda and wrapped his arms around his neck, partially to keep from falling and partially because he needed to. He was in every sort of pain it was possible to be in, and there was only one way to fix it. "Kanda, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry… I shouldn't have ever said what I did this morning. I don't even have an excuse, I'm just sorry, so please… don't go! The thought of you bein' alone… it breaks my heart!"

Kanda stiffened, startled at the worlds and the painful sincerity behind them, then relaxed and put his arms around Daisya in return. "You really are an idiot," he whispered, turning his face into the older boy's hair and closing his eyes.

Daisya nodded, the tears that had stung his eyes earlier now spilling over. "I know," he whispered. "I know."

Kanda gently lifted him into his arms once more and returned him to his bed, then sat down and unzipped his boots. He said nothing as he pulled them off and put them on the floor, then stood and took off his coat and his own boots as well. He stretched out next to the older boy, who immediately rolled onto his side and pressed against him, and he wrapped his arms around him in a tight embrace. "You worry too much," he whispered, closing his eyes and settling in to stay for as long as Daisya needed him.

Daisya chuckled weakly. "I hurt you. I'm not blind." He was feeling a bit better, though – having Kanda stay was the best thing that could have happened.

"I don't like to think about what might have happened," the younger boy replied, shifting a bit closer.

"I know." Kicking himself repeatedly didn't really do much good, but Daisya did it anyway. "Like I said, I dunno why I said that, I just… seein' the way people look at you… I hate it! I love you so much… there's so much good in you, an' they don't even see it!"

Kanda sighed softly. "I told you, I don't give them a reason to want to talk to me. I like it that way, Daisya."

Daisya bit his lip. "I just wish I'd noticed sooner," he murmured. "I'm sorry. You probably don't wanna talk about this."

The Japanese exorcist remained silent for a moment, just holding Daisya tight and savoring his warmth, his scent, everything about him. "You know… how I feel about you. Nothing else matters."

"I know. I'm lucky." Daisya nestled closer and sighed, exhausted again, this time emotionally more than physically. "I'm… heh. You already know."

Kanda nodded. "I know. You don't have to apologize. I know what you were trying to do."

Daisya smiled faintly and moved back a bit, then brushed his lips against the younger boy's chin. "Thanks, Kanda. I'll try not to say stupid stuff anymore."

"If you didn't you wouldn't be you," Kanda replied with a snort. "Go to sleep, you've overworked yourself today."

Daisya laughed softly and nestled close again. "Okay, okay. I'll rest." He couldn't help but smile as he closed his eyes. "Good night, then."

Kanda shifted a bit and pulled the blankets up over them, then relaxed as well. "Good night, Daisya."