AN: Due to my own depression, I really wanted to update this fic. I hope that if you do read it you enjoy reading it and thank you for your support.

Chapter Seven – Fear of Teddy Bears

"What's wrong with him?" I ask the doctor as I smile at Father and Julie-san as they enter Kuon's room, this gives me a chance to discuss his health with them watching over him. The way that Kuon has been acting is very understandable, I might have fared worse than he did were I in his position, but it's not him. He's never acted in this way before.

Okay, so he's never been taken and held against his will by some American crime gang either, not that he's told me about, but I'm worried about him. I'm worried about how he might change because of what they put him through and the panic attack earlier, the hyperventilating, that wasn't him either. "What have the tests shown?"

"There was something in that room that frightened him," the doctor tells me and I take a deep breath in so that I don't start to call him an idiot. Of course something in that room triggered the panic attack, panic attacks aren't normal but if I'm going to stand any chance of helping my husband, I need to know every single detail about what he's going through.

"Yes," I nod, "That was my thought but I don't know what it was, maybe the light or maybe…"

"The police told me something about the warehouse that Kuo-" I feel myself shiver at that, the doctor puts his hand on my shoulder. "Hizuri-san?" he asks and I take measured breaths to calm myself.

I wipe away the tears on my cheeks before nodding and raising my head to look at him. "I'm okay. I'm going to be okay, what did they find?" I ask and the doctor nervously turns.

"They said that there were videos of his torture made in quite a…unique fashion. This is confidential information that I haven't even shared with my team," he tells me and I look at him nervously. What is he talking about? "I think that this," he opens his hand to see one of the get well soon gifts that Kuon was sent, a cute little teddy bear, "triggered Kuon's terror."

I reach out for it, turning it in my hand. A bear? Kuon was scared by a toy bear?

"It's a teddy bear," I whisper trying to make sense out of this. Out of all the irrational fears that exist, this bear is now one that Kuon finds so intimidating. He can't…Kuon can't be seriously afraid of this bear. "It's just…how could…"

"Trust me," the doctor tells me and I stare at the toy in my hand, I want to ask him about it. I want to make sure that the doctor isn't trying to trick me or pull a joke on me. I shake my head before going back in the room.

"Kuon," I speak softly before I see him staring wide-eyed at the bear as if it's real and about to rip his fae off. He starts panicking and Julie's eyes widen in pain at seeing Kuon like this. Kuu manages to restrain him, holding him from behind and whispering that everything was okay and that he was sorry that Kuon had to go through any of this.

I look at the teddy bear. I'm sorry, Maria-chan. It's incredibly thoughtful of you but I can't have it here. I look at Kuon and throw the bear out the window, I see him calm down and fall back into Kuu's arms. I'm so stupid. I should have just trusted the doctor. Is this something that Kuon will always continue to be scared of? How do I help my husband who I love so so much overcome his fear of teddy bears.

I'm not sure what has happened but at least I have Kuon in my arms now, he's safe with me…hopefully. I don't know, I seemed to be the major reason he was taken in the first place. Maybe I'm just bad luck for my son. I help him get down in the bed and I look at Kyoko hoping for an explanation. She gestures for me to go with her out to the hallway and I look back at Julienna as she rubs Kuon's arm and helps him to keep calm.

Once we're outside I look at Kyoko. It shouldn't be surprising that I want an explanation for what just happened in that hospital room.

"He's scared of teddy bears," she tells me and it takes a couple of seconds for me to digest that information. I bow my head as I remember that there were three bears sitting in chairs when we got there. The bears must have been taken into evide-that's where the videos were recorded. Each painful moment and the bears were facing him. Those sons of - "Father, he needs some psychological help but please, no teddy bears."

"Because of the nanny cams," I tell her and it looks as if that idea has just registered to her. She nods and I bow my head, "Kyoko, if I wasn't so worried about him, I would have told you. I promise that I would have. I was scar-"

"I wouldn't have told you either," she tells me and I know that we can both understand what the other is saying. We know how much Kuon means to both of us and so we just want his safety. Still, a fear of teddy bears isn't something that the media would be able to explain in a no-nonsense type of way.

"Is it just teddy bears or is it any stuffed animal?" I ask. I know that with Haruto so young and the two of them expecting their second child in a number of months, soft toys will be everywhere. If he's afraid of all of them, being a father is like being in a living hell. That's the world that they created for him. Kyoko shakes her head, she doesn't know either. All I know is that there is a get well soon dog that his manager sent him and I hope that he isn't having problems to that either. I go inside and see how peaceful he is.

I hate myself for doing this, just experimenting on him but I take the dog and walk over to him, hopefully I won't push him into the deep end, "Kuon, did you see this?" I ask and Julie stares at me. I know, Jules, I know that I'm acting strange.

"It's cute," Kuon says nervously as he takes it in his hand and looks up at me, showing me his pain and weakness, "Wh-Who?"

"This is from Yukihito-san," I tell him and he smiles at the dog, he turns it in his hands with some memory running through his head but I'm not sure what it is and I'm also not sure if this is the moment to ask that. "A lot of people really do care about you," I try to remind him. As I look at him and see the damage that has been inflicted to his body, I wish I was a better father to him. I should have been a better father to him.

"They…wouldn't…wa-want to see.." he struggles to say and Kyoko shakes her head firmly.

"Any one of our friends and family would want to see you, no matter what you've been through or what damage has been done to your body," she tells him passionately and he looks at her nervously. She nods, "Haruto wants to see you as well. He misses his daddy."

"Ya—Yashiro," Kuon says and Kyoko nods.

"I'll call him right now if you'd like," she tells him and Kuon nods. Kyoko steps out of the hallway and I turn to the window, I look down at the bear which has fallen into a tree. Of all the things to be afraid of and Kuon seems terrified of a teddy bear.

Julie glances at me before turning her attention to Kuon again. "If there is anything that you need, darling," she whispers as her fingers brush against his cheek. I know that the police say that they arrested the people responsible for this but I think that they deserve a worse punishment than life in prison and how do we know that's all of them. How do we know something like this won't happen with worse consequences.

I sigh as I look back at Kuon. At least he's alive and with us. At least he's alive.

I wake up as I hear the door to my hospital room open. I'm not sure when I fell asleep but I still don't feel right. It's as if all of my fears and anxieties are ripping against my chest. I don't know how to act anymore because logic doesn't control me, these heightened emotions are controlling me. I look towards the door and see my best friend and former manager there. He looks at me as if he's seeing a ghost, well I was reported dead.

"Hey," I speak weakly as we make eye contact, "Guess I don't look much like an actor."

"What did they do to you?" Yashiro asks horrified and I feel myself withdraw even more, does it look that bad? Am I that hideous?

"Kuon went through some things," Kyoko tells him, "but we're hoping for a safe and speedy recovery," she gives Yashiro a warning shot and he nods though he still looks at her extremely seriously. I guess this isn't the sort of thing that anyone knows how to deal with.

"Kyoko told me that in a couple of weeks the doctors will release you," he says and I nod, "that's good right. It'll be nice to be at home."

"You don't want to loo-look at me," I comment and his eyes widen, he shakes his head but I know that I'm right. I've been scalped, burned, beaten, electrocuted, nearly died from hyperthermia, whipped, anything that you could possibly imagine. They did everything they could think of and then reanimated me as if I was a test subject, not to mention the psychological damage.

"It's not that I don't want to look at you," Yashiro tells me before freezing. "Kuon, I consider us like brothers, you know that. I feel that I should have done something, found you, I shouldn't have just accepted that you were dead."

"You coul-couldn't have helped me," I tell him and Yashiro bows his head, he knows that that is true. "It was…stu-stupidity that sa-saved me."

"You mean that you think that they left a phone there by accident," he asks me and I nod. There were multiple people there, they had to have just forgotten it in their jacket. I mean, with the state I was in, nobody even thought that I could crawl. They really did talk to one another as if I was immobilized and didn't hold a threat to them and there was one of them who was a bit clumsy, it was his phone that I used.

"You mean," Kyoko looks at him concerned, "That you don't believe it was an accident?"

"What I believe or don't believe isn't the point," Yashiro tells her and then puts a hand on the bak of the hospital bed. "What matters is that Kuon is alive and that we have a chance to keep him alive. Now, what have the doctors said?"

"PTSD, they think," I try to explain to him and he nods without much of a reaction on his face.

"I thought that, has there been any type of psychiatrist in here?" he asks as he takes off his glasses and places a hand over his eyes as if he's dealing with some major stressors. Kyoko walks towards me and takes my hand in hers.

"They're getting a psychiatrist in," she nods and I feel as if I'm some strange space alien. I haven't dealt with my mental or psychological health in a while, what if I'm to lose my friends and family when they find out how screwed I really have become.

End of Chapter Seven

Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated

Thank you reviewers of Chapter Six

Brennakai, H-Nala, Kaname671, paulagato

Author Reponse:

It will become clearer as the fic progresses what happened that ended/increases Kuon's suffering as well as how Lory got hold of the information. The videos definitely play into it as they serve of constant reminders and also of knowing that he caused his loved ones pain. He will recover but it'll be a slow course of events. Again thank you for the support.