VII. The Greatest Adventure

"Never is an awfully long time," Kyouya said, fighting back the tears that were threatening to form in his eyes. The presence of Peter standing ever so close behind him made the tempting offer even more difficult to decline, but Kyouya couldn't understand why. Already, in the time he'd been in Kyouya's house, the boy had managed to annoy him to the fullest extent his mind would allow, and thrill him in more ways than he thought possible. At times, he couldn't stand Peter, but he also couldn't bear the thought of losing him.

The warm breath on Kyouya's neck pinpricked his skin. "Picture it, Kyouya," his smooth voice whispered. Pan let his lips gently brush against Kyouya's ear so he'd fully take in his words. "Picture Neverland"

"I…" Kyouya's throat was dry and the words came out cracked and thin, "I am."

"Live it," Peter whispered. As he spoke he squeezed Kyouya's shoulders and then spun him around to see into his deep coal eyes.

"How?" Kyouya murmured, breaking eye contact.

Peter's lips slowly curved into a warm smile and he grabbed Kyouya's arm, spinning him around and making him yell in surprise. The smiling child dragged Kyouya to the windowsill and pushed the glass, making it swing open to reveal thousands of shimmering stars. Kyouya's wrinkled eyebrows revealed his confusion, but Peter's eyes said "trust me." So he did.

Pan's gleaming eyes were bursting with enthusiasm. "Just keep an open mind…and suddenly you'll find Never Never Land." Had anyone else said these words to Kyouya, he probably would have just rolled his eyes and dismissed it, but Peter, though he was obnoxious, seemed so pure and genuine that Kyouya could not doubt him.

The boys hadn't noticed the pitter-pat of Mitsukuni's little feet behind them, so when he spoke, they were both a little startled.

"What does it look like, Peter?" Mitsukuni's childish voice chimed.

"Well," Peter began, slightly annoyed that the little one had interrupted them, "your lovely storyteller girl was pretty spot-on. It's an island…"

"A big one?" Mitsukuni chirped.

"No…quite small, actually," Peter replied, jumping up and dramatically gazing off into the distance, "and nicely crammed, so there's hardly any space between one adventure and another. And it's summer and winder and spring and fall, all at the same time one different parts of the island."

"It sounds wonderful!" Mitsukuni cried, jumping up and down with excitement.

"Oh, it is!" Peter smiled and turned back to Kyouya. "Now," he said, "Live it."

"I don't," Kyouya began, "understand what you mean."

Peter laughed (which irked Kyouya a little) and rushed over to him, pulling from the windowsill and onto the floor. He was already a little peeved at Peter for treating him like a rag doll, but he didn't show it. The blonde sat with his legs crossed, facing the confused and annoyed yet completely cool-faced Ootori.

He gently ran his fingers over Kyouya's glasses and said, "Close your eyes."

Kyouya obeyed.

"What do you see?"

There was a brief hesitation. "N…Nothing."

"Close them tighter, Kyouya. Concentrate." Pan leaned in closer, clenching his fists like he was cheering his new friend on.

"I see a…what appears to be a pool of colours."

Peter's violet eyes widened in wonder. "Yes, Kyouya! Squeeze them tighter!"

Kyouya obeyed.

"Tighter!"

"Yes," Kyouya's voice wouldn't go any louder than a whisper. If it wasn't for the dazzling colours that swam through his mind at present, he would have snapped at Peter.

"And the pool will take on a shape."

To Kyouya's surprise, Pan was right. The colours all meshed tighter to form some sort of vague form whose features slowly began to sharpen.

"Yes."

"And the colours will become brighter."

And to Kyouya's surprise, they did. Each swirling colour and shade glowed brighter in his mind. Colours that had previously been dull were now vibrant and full of life.

"Yes." Kyouya spoke louder now.

"And they will become so bright, that in a moment they will catch on fire. And in that moment…just before they do…"

"I see it, Peter! I see it!" Mitsukuni's shriek caught Peter off-guard yet again. How long has this kid been sitting next to me? he thought, a little miffed.

"Well," he breathed a rather sarcastic laugh, "I had no doubts that you would see—"

"I…" Kyouya hesitantly stuttered. Peter's attention was immediately drawn back to him. "I see it."

Peter had the brimming eyes of a father whose son was just learning to walk or speak.

"Yes, Kyouya!" he almost cried. "What do you see?"

Kyouya spoke just above a whisper. "I see an island. Trees. Very tall trees. And…a lagoon…with mermaids. A mountain…"

With each word Pan sat up taller, clenched his fists harder, and smiled brighter. "Yes, Kyouya!"

"With snow…lots of lights…fairies. And…a big pirate ship on…on the west coast, I think. And…" But then, just as Peter had promised, the island went up in brilliant flames, disappearing into the blackness of his mind.

"Yes, Kyouya! That's my island!" Unable to contain himself any longer, the flamboyant blonde threw his arms around Kyouya, breaking his reverie. He shook the boy until his glasses nearly fell off, screaming, "I knew it! I knew it! I just knew it!" Kyouya's eyes blinked open, slowly processing the fact that Peter was…hugging him.

"What did you know exactly?" Kyouya asked, the bulging vein in his forehead revealing his annoyance.

"Do you realize what you've done?" Peter bellowed dramatically, taking Kyouya's shoulders and smiling wider than should be physically possible. Kyouya answered with a raised eyebrow.

Peter lowered his voice and took Kyouya's chin in his fingers, looking into his eyes. "You used your imagination, silly." Then, ruffling Kyouya's hair with his hand, he hopped to his feet. "I knew you still had one."

Kyouya couldn't help but smile. He was soon buried under Mitsukuni, who giggled, "You're back, Kyouya! I missed you!"

Missed me? The thought. Where have I been? He then realized what a good question it really was. Where had he been? Who had he been? For years, he had been nothing but an empty shell of himself, living for someone else. He wanted now more than ever to escape to the magical place he had seen in his mind…so what was holding him back?

Before he could do anything about it, Kyouya was once again being dragged against his will.

"Now come on, what are you waiting for?" an eager Pan giggled, dragging his new mother toward the window again.

"Let's fly!" Kyouya's other hand was now seized by Mitsukuni's tiny one. The two giggling blondes had nearly succeeded in finally pulling Kyouya out into the open air, but for some reason, he wouldn't fly.

"Come on, Kyo-chan!"

"Just think happy thoughts, remem--?"

"I'VE ALREADY TOLD YOU!" Kyouya finally shattered. "I can't come with you!" Kyouya's words tasted like poison and stung as they escaped his throat. They seemed foreign to him, like someone else had spoken them. But he couldn't take them back. Every word he spoke was a lie. He knew his true feelings, but, as always, he hid them from the world.

Looks of shock were plastered on all three of the boys' faces. Together, Peter and Mitsukuni drifted down to stand on the windowsill, still holding Kyouya's hands.

"But…" they said together, their eyes brimming.

"Look," Kyouya snapped, yanking his hands away from the boys' grasps, but longing with every fiber of his being to grab their hands again and soar out the open window, "I can't just run away from home and never come back." I am lying. Please take me. "People have responsibilities!" I don't have to have responsibilities. Why am I doing this? Is my pride really so swollen?! I'm just a coward! I'm afraid that for once in my life, I might actually be HAPPY!

The glare he shot Peter stung both of their hearts. "Not everything is sunshine and happy thoughts." What am I saying?! I'm such an idiot! I'm such a COWARD!

Kyouya was trying harder than he had ever tried to keep himself from slapping himself in the face, or crying, or both.

The disappointment finally crushed Peter's spirit, and the tears that were filling his eyes spilled over. Kyouya's heart burned like it was being ripped from his chest. He had to look away for fear the same thing would happen to him. Peter's hand squeezed Kyouya's shoulder, and his touch burned. Peter tried to see past the glare in Kyouya's glasses, but the stubborn Ootori kept his eyes focused on the toy chest on the floor beside him, concentrating on keeping his sorrow invisible.

"But," Peter began, struggling to keep his voice steady, "you don't have to grow up."

"But I do," Kyouya's quivering voice betrayed him. "We all do."

Mitsukuni sniffed and wiped his nose with his arm. "I…I c-can't leave without…without Kyouya. I'm…s-so…sorry, Peter!!"

Peter paid no attention to the little arms wrapped around his waist. When they finally let go, he sighed and turned to face the open window once more. "Well…I guess this is it then," he said. Before he drifted out the window into the solemn, black Tokyo night, he turned his head slightly to deliver one last message.

"To live…would be an awfully big adventure."

Great. The title of this chapter has me singing the theme from the '80s animated version of The Hobbit. "The greatest adventure…is what lies ahead…"

Oh my god, you guys! This chapter almost made me cry while I was writing it! And I don't cry! It wasn't as bad when I first wrote it, when I was getting all in the heat of the moment and stuff, but when I was typing it and rereading it, I was like, "This is freaking sad!"

Anyway, hope you're enjoying it all. R&R please! =3 I'm almost done with writing my next chapter, but I don't know when I will be posting it. And hey, you know what would make me really happy? If you have some friends who you think would enjoy this story, point them my way! I really want some more readers! Please and thank you!

Oh, and don't worry. They're gonna get to Neverland eventually. Geez! I've drawn out the nursery scene seven chapters! I write too much. lol