AN: A little short and uneventful but I do enjoy writing this fic so do plan to continue it.

Chapter Ten – Stuck in Position

After all of the torture that I managed to endure, after all of those days when I felt that my mind wouldn't slow down and that it wasn't safe and that somehow I would have to make it safe, I find myself here. A vegetable. Unable to truly take care of myself. I want to make sure they know that I'm alive and that I'm aware of what is going on around me. I want to be able to raise my hand or just give them some idea that I am able to understand the words that they say.

"I could take him with me," Dad says and I wonder if their trying to decide who gets to take care of me or who has to take care of me. I don't want to think too hard on that question. There's a lot of chance that it could be the second. "We can provide for him or I'm sure that Boss."

"I don't even want him with you," Kyoko argues before she gently smooths my hair and then gets a wet cloth, starting to dab at my mouth and chin and my cheeks. Please don't tell me that I'm drooling or anything like that. I would hate myself even more if I knew that. "I want to take care of him. He's my husband. I'm worried about the media though," Kyoko weakly sobs and puts her hand over mine. I can't even press my fingertips against hers.

"I think that Boss will have a good handle on the media," Dad tries to comfort her and its true, nobody can handle the news organizations like Lory Takarada. Still, I know that they hurt me physically. I am aware of how they left me as a survivor who endured torment but I'd rather it be over and I be dead than to have them put through this.

"Okay, well the first thing is to get him into the wheelchair," Kyoko says and steps away so that I can't see her any longer. She walks over to me with some kind of device and I try my best to struggle free. I need to move something. My lips, my fingers, my toes even. Just something.

"Geh—" I freeze as I hear myself say that. What does that mean? Am I actually able to move my tongue? Is that normal?

Dad stands first and holds tight to my hand, squeezing it and looking at me in the way that a good father should. I try to focus again. They can't have left me with nothing. I try to put all my energy into one fingertip. I'll go from there. I manage to tap Dad's hand and he looks at me as if I've just done some divine magic trick.

"Are you…" Dad says slowly and Kyoko stands above me. She gently lets her hand go over my bandaged head. Kyoko turns to Dad and they both study my finger. Hopefully they know that I'm conscious.

"Corn," Kyoko asks slowly as she puts a hand to my shoulder. Her eyes widen as she looks to me, "Honey, are you…are you experiencing this?" she asks and I try to figure out how to respond. Moving my head takes too much energy and I see Kyoko look at Dad and then mouth something before turning back to me.

"Corn," she tells me nervously. "If you can hear and understand this, don't move your finger," she says carefully and I manage to get my body still without the finger moving. Kyoko pauses, "Okay, and if you can this time, move your finger." I focus enough and deliver enough energy throughout my body to move my finger. They turn to each other.

"At least we have some form of communication," Dad says weakly.

…..

…..

I don't really know what to say but my heart feels completely useless. Kuon is frozen and we're not sure how much he understands but it's obvious that he's listening by the way his finger is moving. I hate them for putting my son in this position. I'll slaughter the whole damn lot of them, acting career be damned. My acting career doesn't matter as much as my son matters. I just wish that I'd known that earlier.

I turn to Kyoko as I keep a hand on Kuon's upper arm. I don't think that this is what she's going to consider best but it's what I want and maybe I am truly selfish for wanting this. "I do want to take care of him," I tell her and Kyoko bites her top lip before shaking her head. We both know that Kuon needs someone due to the state that he's in but I feel that I'm stronger than her, more able.

"I want to help him," she tells me and I can see the passion and determination in her face. I hesitate before looking at my son. I am glad that we both know that he's not actually dead but he's stuck, paralyzed. I look down. "How about we do it together?" I ask her and she nods.

"He can come home, right? You can stay in the guest room," she attempts to persuade me and I nod. Yes. That would work out for both of us. I look to the wheelchair before placing my arms securely around his body, one sliding under his legs and the other around his back.

I just hope that he understands that we're there for him and that we want to do anything in our power to help him get better and recover. Kyoko brings over the wheelchair and I set him down in it. He can't position himself and it scares me. What did those monsters do to him?

The thoughts are filling my mind, what sort of things would he be saying were he actually to be fully conscious. What kind of problems would he have and would he blame me for this? Would he blame me for not taking care of him?

"Father," Kyoko finally says as she sees the distress I'm under but I'm sure that I look just like her. Horrified but ready to do anything to take care of Kuon. I hate what they left him as but at least he's alive.

"I wish I knew if he was comfortable or not," I tell her and Kyoko turns back to look at Kuon. He should be moving around freely by himself, he should be able to engage in conversation but neither of those options is open to him.

Kyoko puts a hand on Kuon's shoulder, looking at him longingly. "We're just going to have to hope he is until he's ready to communicate," she says and I nod. It feels like my duty as his father to take the best care of him but I'm separated from him once again.

Kyoko starts wheeling him out of the room and I follow behind her. I just wish that I trusted this hospital but I don't. Kuon has so much fear in his mind, he's been hurt so much psychologically but he's now unable to express that pain. I feel so useless. I just wish that I had been stronger and that none of this had ever happened to him.

…..

…..

I wish I knew that I was doing this properly. I'm sitting with Kuon and trying to take care of him but I still don't know whether I'm doing this properly. I'm attempting to give him something to drink but half the water has rolled out of his mouth and down his cheeks. Maybe a tube would be better, a feeding tube so I don't worry about making him suffer.

I know that he's suffering already. They did this to him. They put him in such a condition where he's unable to take care of himself but I feel that I am contributing to that pain. I don't want Rikuu to see him like this just yet and I'm happy that he gets to be taken care of by his grandparents whilst I focus on Kuon.

I freeze as he finally closes his eyelids. He doesn't have to have help doing that but my body freezes again. What if he doesn't have the energy to open them when he wakes up? What if he stays in this comatose state and I'm unable to take care of him.

I hear a knock on the door with the addition of the doorbell close behind and I squeeze his shoulder. "I'll be right back," I promise him. I hate to see him like this. I hate that he's unable to take care of himself when he's always been so strong and he's been the one to take care of me and shelter me when the darkness has seemed to be impossible to get out of.

I take another look at his body before going to the front door. He's been through so much pain and I don't want there to be any more. As I open the front door, I see a package sitting there which is big enough to put a desktop computer in including monitor. I sigh and feel it carefully, it's light. I listen to it hoping that it isn't a bomb, it's not ticking or making any sound.

I take a deep breath in, praying that this isn't a trap and as I open the box I see two teddy bears gazing up at me. I freeze. These teddy bears look like the ones that Kuon had to look at as he suffered. I turn around, hoping to find the source of the package. Was there somebody here? I stand up, my body shaking knowing that I never want for Kuon to see these items. I never want for him to experience any reminder of that pain.

I go to the kitchen and pull out a large chef's knife. Hopefully there isn't a bomb placed inside of one of these toys. I steady myself with another inhale and slash off the bears' heads and then start cutting up the body. There doesn't seem to be anything there aside from the bears, no recording equipment or dangerous explosives but just the reminder of pain is enough to bring back those feelings.

I'm happy that I am able to realize his fear and can toss these things away but it scares me that they know where we live. That they are still out there plotting and planning. That they still want to harm my husband and that they have not all been captured by the police.

I don't want anyone to ever touch him again. It's my duty as his wife to take care of him whenever I can. I rise slowly, looking back at our residence and I sigh. I walk over to Father who is carrying Rikuu in his arms. "Can you or Julie keep an eye on Kuon, there's something that I need to take to the trash."

Father nods and I feel relieved that I can at least know that Kuon is safe as I try to help him. Lifting the box, I take it to where the trash goes and freeze as I see someone standing there watching me. Not everyone is bad but this man is making me feel afraid. I shake my head. I need to focus on the good things in life and not become one who suspects everyone else of wrongdoing.

"Let me help you with that," he offers and I stare at him, my heart beating painfully in my chest.

"Why?" I ask scared for my own safety. This place seems dangerous now. I can't afford for anything to destroy my family.

End of Chapter Ten

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Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Nine

H-Nala, Kaname671, Paulagato