Disclaimer: Of course, only the creeper Shuugo is mine… all others are not… sadly enough… They should be! I'd have made a kick ass Gokusen! Albeit… a bit more emo XD

A/N: So yeah. What's up NERDS? :] Okay, I mean no offense by that term… It's a loving thing I call all my friends. Even my own mother! Anyways… I'm still not sure how long this is going to be. I kinda just keep having shit happen to Ryu! More and more ideas keep flooding into me wee brain, so pardon me if this drags on. Oh well, at least I'll be content. :D

Oh! Almost forgot… Any of y'alls listen to Protest The Hero? Kinda rad… [I listen to a shitload of metal, symphonic metal, awesome music, etc… And yes, my dear reviewer, I listen to Nightwish. Tarja kicks my pathetic, angsty butt].

No More Cry

Chapter Seven: Lessons About Cast Drawings

"Ryu!"

Hayato launched himself forward, his arm outstretched.

"Yabuki!" Yankumi shouted, but it was useless. All movement in the basement stopped and everyone was silent. Finally, Shuugo's eyes widened in surprise.

"Y-Yabuki," he said through his teeth. Hayato was still, save his shaking arm. It was due to the death grip he had managed to get onto the blade of the knife by reaching over Shuugo's shoulder. No matter how hard Shuugo tried he couldn't jerk the blade free. Hayato's expression was filled with rage as he walked around to face the criminal.

"I'll kill you," Hayato said, his voice as hard as granite. Shuugo released the blade and stepped away. Hayato relaxed and the knife clanged to the floor, but his gaze remained fixed to Shuugo, completely disregarding his injured hand. Shuugo's expression turned menacing.

"You're gonna-"

His words were cut short as Yankumi landed a well-placed chop to his neck. He crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Yankumi looked at Hayato's bloodied hand. "Yabuki-kun…"

"I'm fine," he said, turning to Ryu. The other was swaying slightly, struggling to remain upright. "Ryu," Hayato said, stepping closer. Ryu kept his gaze to the ground, but he flinched away slightly. "It's okay now, Ryu," Hayato said, keeping his voice calm. He took another step, closing the distance between him and Ryu, and slowing extended his arms. "You're safe now."

Ryu looked up at Hayato for a few second before his knees buckled and he collapsed into Hayato's arms. His breathing was shallow and strained as he buried his face in Hayato's shirt, his good hand grasping the fabric of his jacket. Ryu's left hand hung useless at his side. "Its okay, Ryu," Hayato said again. "Hang in there." He positioned Ryu so that his injured wrist was out of the way and gently lifted him up bridal style. It was almost sickening how light Ryu was.

"Yabuki-kun, you're hand!" Yankumi said, stepping forward. Hayato shook his head.

"I'm fine. We have to get him out of here and to the hospital," he said. He looked down at Ryu, whose grip on Hayato's shirt was loosening. "Come on, Ryu. Stay awake," Hayato demanded. Ryu's breathing sped up slightly and his arched brows furrowed.

"I'm… sorry," he whispered. "I… tried… the… the hospital…"

Hayato listened to Ryu's weak voice as he and Yankumi worked their way through the building. The sounds of police sirens grew steadily louder. "Yeah, you big, fat, liar," Hayato responded. "There you go, being all dishonest again. When will you just go where you say you're going?"

Ryu exhaled and a barely there smile graced his bloodied face. "I'll tell you… next time… next time I plan on… being beaten… up," he said. Hayato glanced down at Ryu.

"Even if it's your father?" he asked. Ryu didn't respond. "Ryu, keep talking to me," Hayato demanded.

"I'm sorry," Ryu whispered, finally losing consciousness. Luckily, the three comrades had just reached the front doors of the building. Yankumi kicked them open, revealing several police care, officers, and the 3-D class standing behind the blockade.

"Ryu! Hayato! Yankumi!" they all shouted, trying to step through. Tsucchi used his long limbs to create a small hole in the people and Take squeezed through.

"You guys!" he shouted, rushing towards Hayato. He stopped and his jaw dropped at the sight of Ryu. Hayato stepped past him and towards the ambulance and bustling EMT's; a stretcher was already headed towards him. "What-" Take began, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He looked back to see Yankumi.

"Odagiri-kun's hurt," she said seriously. "This is more than a fight he lost… Let the EMT's take care of him." Take nodded and looked back at the medical team. Ryu's face had an oxygen mask on it as he was being raised into the ambulance. Hayato was nearby getting his hand and neck treated. Yankumi squeezed Take's shoulder. "Please tell everyone to head back to the school. I need to make sure that Yabuki-kun and Odagiri-kun are taken care of."

"But-"

Yankumi smiled. "I promise to tell the class everything. And we may be able to see Odagiri-kun ourselves."

Take glanced back at Hayato. The ambulance was already gone. Finally, he met Yankumi's gaze and nodded.

"I understand."

It was quiet in the classroom, much like it had been for a few days. The students were absentmindedly working on their schoolwork, but it was easy to see that their thoughts were all elsewhere. Only four students who sat in the back didn't bother busying themselves with homework. Tsucchi, Hyuuga, and Take were all talking quietly amongst themselves.

"It's been, like… three days," Take whined. "I want to see if he's alright."

"I'm sure they would have said something if he wasn't," Tsucchi stated. "I mean, the school would have informed everyone. Yankumi would have said something, too."

"Then why aren't we allowed to go see for ourselves?" Take argued.

"Because of hospital policies," Hyuuga said bitterly. "It's obvious that he wasn't in good shape when they took him there, so they have to give him time to heal… alone. That's stupid. If I was beat the hell, I'd want my friends around. I'd be too bored without 'em!"

"Well, that's you, Hyuuga," Tsucchi said, flinging pencil lead at him. The tiny grey sliver bounced off of Hyuuga's desk and hit against the back of Hayato's head. He didn't respond, though, instead keeping his head on the desk, turned away from the others. Hyuuga, Take, and Tsucchi all looked at each other, hoping to provoke some sort of reaction out of their classmate. He'd been silent ever since they hauled Ryu off to the hospital. It made the others wonder what exactly had happened to their fallen classmate.

"Haya-" Tsucchi began, but the bell rang for lunch to begin. Instantly, Hayato was up and out of his seat, book bag in hand, and out of the back door. The others glanced at each other once before slowly gathering their own things. "I wonder what happened," Tsucchi said absently.

"Whatever it was must've been awful," Take replied, shivering slightly. "I've never seen him like this before."

They fell silent with that comment, letting the seriousness of the situation wash over them before they gathered their things and went looking for Hayato.

The hospital loomed overhead, blotting out the sun. Hayato sighed and walked in. He was sure he'd successfully ditched his friends. Lunch was an easier time to ditch; there were more people running around and it was easier to get lost among them.

He pushed the doors open and went straight to the front desk. The nurse that was there looked up at him and smiled as he approached the counter. "You're early today, Yabuki-kun," she said kindly. Hayato shrugged.

"I was able to come early. I figured I might as well check to see…" He trailed off and glanced nervously about the lobby. The nurse kept her kind smile.

"Odagiri-kun is very lucky to have a friend like you. You know, the first person he asked about today was you," she stated. Hayato's eyes widened.

"He's awake!?" he asked, barely able to keep his voice down. The nurse nodded.

"He woke up this morning," she replied. She pulled out a clipboard. "He immediately asked if you were alright and kept talking about how you stupid you were to carry him out of there with your injured hand. We had to put drugs in him to shut him up!" she laughed. She placed the clipboard on the counter. "Just sign in here and you can go see him."

Hayato quickly scribbled his name down on the paper. "What room?"

"418," the nurse replied. Hayato nodded. 4th floor, 18th room… He made a mad dash for the elevator. Even though it was a rather high-tech elevator it didn't go fast enough. Hayato pushed the button several times.

"C'mon, c'mon," he breathed. The doors opening took a million years. Finally he squeezed out between the two barely open doors and ran down the hall. 415, 416, 417, 418! And then, suddenly, all time seemed to halt. The hurry Hayato was in faded as he stared at the door. He wasn't sure why, but he felt apprehension pulling at him. Perhaps it was because he had a mindset as to what he'd talk to Ryu about… Perhaps it was because he didn't want to see his friend so injured again… But, regardless of these feelings, he yanked the door open without so much as a knock.

Ryu was lying down, the head of his bed raised slightly, and his head tilted towards the door. His eyes were shut and his hair was fanned about his face and the pillow. To Hayato's surprise he found himself stepping in and closing the door behind him. He walked quietly over to the side of Ryu's bed and peered curiously at his classmate. His bruises looked less menacing with the blood wiped away. Even his split lip wasn't as bad as it had originally looked. Hayato glanced down to see Ryu's left arm in a white cast on the top of the sheets. He was sure there was a rib brace holding tight beneath the sheets as well.

Hayato backed away slightly and sat down the one large chair by Ryu's bed. It was difficult to see him, even though he looked better than before. Hayato's blood began to boil as he thought of Shuugo and the other ruffians, of what they did to him… He could feel his fists tightening. He pulled his knees up and rested his chin on them in an attempt to get more comfortable. He just didn't need to think about it. Whatever that gang had against Ryu… whatever Kudo had against Ryu… it could wait.

So, he just sat there, watching and waiting for Ryu to wake up. He wasn't going to wake him up, not after all he went through. Ryu probably needed all the sleep he could get. Besides, he was content to wait for Ryu. At least this time he knew where he was and that he was safe.

It wasn't as painful as it was last time he woke up. Ryu's eyes fluttered open almost instantly as his mind woke itself. No, definitely not as painful. He slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes, wondering how long he had been asleep. It had to have been at least six hours…

Movement to his right caught his attention and he glanced over, surprised to see Hayato curled up on the chair. His head was tilted to one side, resting on his balled up uniform jacket while he slept. Ryu just stared at him. How long had he been there? He obviously went to school that day… Ryu shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. He shouldn't have expected any less of Hayato. He had a habit of following whatever emotion he was feeling at the time. That never bothered Ryu, though. It made Hayato and interesting person to be around.

"So, you're awake," said Hayato suddenly. Ryu looked back at his friend to see him shifting positions and stretching. Both boys winced as Hayato's back cracked loudly. Suddenly, Ryu caught sight of the bandage on Hayato's neck. He then looked at Hayato's hand, which was wrapped in white gauze. His heart clenched painfully at the troubled he'd caused his friend.

"How long have you been here?" Ryu asked. Hayato shrugged. "Listen, Hayato… About your hand-"

"Don't worry about it," Hayato replied. He glanced at Ryu's cast. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Ryu said. He glanced down at his cast and smiled a small, distant smile. "For now, anyways."

"Ryu," Hayato said sternly, causing the other to look up. Hayato was leaning forward, his expression serious. He looked at Ryu for a long moment before sighing and hanging his head. "What do you say you let me awesome-ize your cast for you, hmm?" he asked, grabbing his bag and searching for a sharpie. Ryu smirked.

"Yeah, since you're just a fantastic artist," he said sarcastically. Hayato stuck his tongue out.

"Shut up or I'll break your other wrist so that I can practice," he mumbled. Finally, he found what he was looking for and pushed his chair around to the other side of the bed. He sat in it and gently grabbed Ryu's wrist so that it was resting on his knees. He began to scribble on the cast. "So," he said after a minute of silence. Ryu said nothing. He wasn't even watching Hayato anymore; instead he was looking out of the window, his expression vacant. Hayato kept his eyes to his artwork. "Are you going to tell me about the situation with your father now?" he asked.

"Hayato," Ryu said, but his voice was small and offered no resistance.

"I insist you tell me, Ryu. I'd… I'd hate to have to say something to someone," Hayato said. He suddenly remembered Yankumi's words. "This is above you and me and secrecy, Ryu. This is completely different." There was more silence, save the gentle scratch of Hayato's sharpie on Ryu's cast.

"It wasn't always like this," Ryu said, his voice even smaller than before. Hayato had to strain his ears to hear him. Ryu lowered his head, but kept his eyes away from his classmate. "It wasn't always like this," he repeated. "I… I don't know why he..."

"So, you're father is the one who hurt your ribs and bruised and scratched your neck," Hayato said firmly. He needed Ryu to confirm it so that there wasn't any doubt. Of course, Hayato had no doubts, but it was necessary.

Ryu's head lowered further. "Yeah," he whispered. "I don't know why… It never went this far before." Hayato was quiet now, simply doodling away and allowing Ryu to talk. "I always was obedient. I was afraid of him," he said quietly, drawing his knees up to his chin. "His mind games… never went this far." He finally looked at Hayato with a desperate expression. "Please… don't tell anyone." Hayato didn't respond, instead placing the cap on his sharpie and inspecting his artwork. Ryu's eyes widened. "Hayato." No response. "Hayato, you didn't!"

"Relax," Hayato said gently. He looked at Ryu. It was surprising to see such a desperate expression on the other boy's face. Ryu hardly ever had that much emotion. "I didn't tell the guys or anything like that."

"Then, who?" Ryu asked. Hayato sighed and rubbed his hand over his face once.

"Yankumi kind of… beat it out of me," he answered. Ryu's gaze dropped and all emotion was wiped from his face.

"Yankumi," he said. His eyes became distant again. A strange, broken smile touched his lips. "I see." Hayato frowned, not liking Ryu's reaction at all.

"She's not going to say anything, Ryu. I… We talked about it. Nothing will be done until you say so. That is, unless you're hurt again," Hayato said. Ryu kept his blank expression.

"No, I won't be hurt again," he said simply. Hayato's frown deepened; Ryu was lost in his own thoughts now. Hayato grabbed his bag and stood.

"I suppose I should let you rest," he said. Ryu didn't respond. "I'll tell the others tomorrow that you're up, if you don't mind. We'll probably come see you after school." Ryu nodded and leaned back against the bed. Hayato looked at the ground. "Yeah… See you later," he said quietly, and left the boy to his thoughts.

Ryu stared at his cast, the only light coming from the red of the sunset through his window. There were several different pictures on his cast, mostly chibi versions of his classmates. Even Yankumi had a chibi on his cast. There were various pictures of random things and little phrases here and there. Ryu couldn't help but smile. Hayato's art really did suck.

His smile didn't last long, though, as his door opened slowly and quietly. Ryu peeked around, trying to see who it was. His eyes widened as his father, tall and menacing, entered the room. "Hello, Ryu," he said, his voice flat. Ryu was speechless for a moment before words finally reached him.

"D-dad…"

"I see you went and got yourself into more trouble," his father said, walking around the edge of the bed and sitting down in the chair at Ryu's side. Ryu had a hard time resisting the urge to tremble. His father sighed. "I thought that maybe you were running away from your lessons," he mused, fiddling with the end of his tie. "But, then the nurse at your school informed me that you had been in earlier for a checkup and that she had insisted you come here."

"Dad," Ryu began, but his father's glare silenced him.

"I guess I have to rethink your entire lesson plan," he stated. "I can't believe my own son couldn't defend himself against a few ruffians. I wonder what happened to you, you spineless coward." He stood and walked to the window, peering out at the sunset. "You're lucky that your friends felt sorry enough for you that they came to your rescue. Did you know that they were demanding Kudo's release for your own? Ha! As if I'd negotiate with idiots like them." He sighed and rolled his shoulders. "You're such a problem, Ryu."

"I didn't mean to… Dad, I couldn't run, even if I tried!" Ryu said, desperation in his voice.

"Excuses," his father stated. "You've just been worthless your whole life, haven't you? You don't listen, you get into fights you can't win, and you even hurt your so-called friends."

"…what?" Ryu whispered.

"That's right. If I remember correctly, Hayato had a nasty cut on his neck and his hand even required stitches. It's a shame his blood was wasted on you," his father stated. Ryu's gaze dropped and he stared at his hands. He was right; he'd caused Hayato unnecessary pain. "Oh, and that teacher of yours was a little cut up, too. Heavens, you're just hurting people left and right, aren't you Ryu?"

"I'm sorry," Ryu whispered. His father laughed.

"Sorry can't fix this, Ryu," he said, turning around and walking towards his son. "You don't even have to try and you make others bleed. On top of that, you did nothing to help them. Nothing. You're even more pathetic than I thought you were." Ryu didn't respond. His father sighed and left Ryu's side. "Oh well. I suppose that some people are just born that way: pathetic and useless. I'll come back tomorrow to do the paperwork for bringing you home." He smiled in a sickeningly fatherly way. "Good night, son."

Ryu didn't move, even after the door shut. His eyes were fixed on his hands and his entire body was trembling. His father was right. He'd done nothing but become a nuisance. He was useless… weak… pathetic… His fragile, precariously balanced psyche cracked as he came to this realization.

He was nothing.

Holy crap. I cranked out a hella long chapter there! :D Kind of unexpected! Alright! So, return of the evil daddy!

BTW… the song "I Still Believe" by Yumi Shizukusa (I think…) is a rad song to listen to. :D I listen to it on repeat while writing this chapter. That, and "Where Angels Fell" by Stutterfly… "Over You" by Chris Daughtry… "Untitled" and "Perfect" by Simple Plan… (Perfect is like… Ryu's theme right now lol) aaannddd… "Angel's Son" by Sevendust… again… heh. There ya go.