A/N: How much do I love my readers? Let me count the ways: I have written a chapter extra-early for my hundred reviews! YAAAYYYY! Come on and celebrate with me!

Disclaimer: I am doing a rain dance!


"You could've knocked," was the first thing that Kunihiro could think of saying. Irrelevant, it was true. But did the man really just kick down a door? Didn't that happen only in books and movies?

"Who're you?" their father asked.

Souichi ignored both of them. "She just told me that you were going to take that idiot to a shrink because he's gay," he continued in that same cold voice. "Is that true?"

Their father turned to look at Kunihiro. "Who is this lunatic?"

"You might not want to call him-"

Souichi strode into the room, jabbing a finger to their father's chest. "I've got a different opinion on who the lunatic is. It's not a fucking disease, you moron."

"That's a matter of opinion, young man. It's an abnormality of the mind."

"I never thought I'd live to say this, but your son is a lot more normal than you are."

Their father turned red. "If Tetsuhiro is friends with someone like you, it's no wonder he stays homosexual."

Souichi's face darkened, and Kunihiro had to dive in front of Souichi to stop him from knocking their father's teeth out.

"You…fucking...bastard-" Souichi spluttered, trying to push Kunihiro away. Dr. Uzuki was now helping Kunihiro wrestle Souichi away. Their father was backing off, something like real fear in his eyes. "You…brainless idiot…"

"Are you a homo, too?" their father hissed.

Kunihiro turned pale. He could almost hear Souichi snap.

"Calm down, Sou-"

"Don't you fucking tell me to calm down!" Souichi yelled, flailing wildly. He accidentally kicked Kunihiro in the shin, but he couldn't care less at this point. "Let me at him! That caveman deserves a lesson! How dare you call me a fucking homo! You moron!"

"Tatsumi-san, if you don't calm down we'll call the guards to escort you out," panted Dr. Uzuki.

"You better get him locked up," their father said.

"Shut up, Dad!" shouted Kunihiro. Honestly!

Souichi kicked again, so hard that his shoe came flying off. His foot didn't reach their father, but the shoe did. It hit their father in the face.

"Dad!"

Their father clutched his face, looking more stunned than hurt. "What-you-"

Suddenly Tetsuhiro and their mother were there. Tetsuhiro was in a wheelchair, and he was deathly pale. He looked very distressed.

"Genichirou!" screeched their mother, abandoning her son and running to their father. "Are you all right?"

"What happened? What happened?" Tetsuhiro kept on saying. "Senpai? Nii-san?"

"Damn it, you deserve more than that," Souichi snarled.

"Tatsumi-san!" warned Dr. Uzuki.

Souichi glared at the small doctor for a moment, before deflating. "Fine. Fine. I'm going outside to…cool my head."

He walked closer to Genichirou, who flinched and shrank away. "I'm only getting my shoe!" Souichi said irritably.

He shoved his foot deep into the shoe, scowling. So much for keeping his temper in front of Morinaga's parents. But really, what was he supposed to do? That woman who called herself Morinaga's mother wanted her son to get fixed by a shrink.

Souichi stomped out. Nurses were already starting to crowd outside the room. Great, just what he needed-an audience. It would be all over the hospital tomorrow.

But he never thought that he could be so angry at someone. For someone. He knew he hated homosexuals, but his anger at Morinaga's parents surpassed his hate for Kurokawa or that professor who tried to molest him. Perhaps it was because he just knew that Morinaga really would go to a shrink if his parents asked him to.

Morinaga should not be around people who continually hurt him. But damn it, that idiot was a masochist. Clearly, he needed someone like Souichi to shoo those kinds of people away, since Morinaga was too nice to do it himself.

And that comment about him being a homo-oh boy, that was over the top. He could've broken their father's face in half for that. Did they really think that he would…have this…whatever he had with Morinaga with someone else?

It was all Morinaga's fault of course. He wormed his way into his life until Souichi could not contemplate a life without him in it. Just when did he become so needy?

Damn it.


The next morning, it was Tomoe and Kurokawa who accompanied him for his morning stroll across the grounds. Kunihiro had wanted to spend some time with their parents, while Souichi was at work. Frankly, Morinaga didn't think it would be a good idea to have his Senpai and his parents in the same room ever again.

After Souichi had left, Genichirou had spent some time trying to convince Morinaga to undergo treatment, despite Dr. Uzuki's statement that homosexuality was not a psychological disorder. Morinaga had been sick and tired and dizzy from everything that had happened, so he ended up saying that he would think about it. Genichirou had nodded, understanding, then left him with this parting line:

"If you become normal, we can be a family again."

Morinaga wanted that with all his heart. He wanted to be the son they wanted. But…that would mean leaving Senpai behind…Senpai, who had only recently admitted that he was important to him. Senpai, who stayed with him throughout his accident and recovery, as his parents had not done.

"You're awfully quiet today," Tomoe observed. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing, really," Morinaga automatically answered.

Kurokawa and Tomoe exchanged a look. "You can tell us, you know," Kurokawa prodded gently. "Is it about S-Souichi? Or…your parents? Did they visit you?"

Morinaga was silent for a moment. Finally, he said, "My parents want me to go to a psychiatrist to treat homosexuality."

"What?!" Tomoe and Kurokawa exclaimed.

"You're kidding me," Kurokawa said, astonished.

"No, I'm not," Morinaga said, fighting down the urge to scream in frustration.

"But it's not a disorder," Tomoe protested.

"My parents seem to think so."

"Is that why Nii-san knocked your father out?" Tomoe wondered.

"I-What? No! Senpai didn't! Where did you hear that from?" Morinaga said, taken aback.

"I heard a couple of nurses talking about it."

"You did? But that's not true! "

"Then what happened?"

"Nii-san told me...Senpai kicked his shoe into Dad's face."

Tomoe and Kurokawa were silent for a moment. Then they both burst out laughing.

"So he didn't get knocked out? He got shoe-d," gasped Tomoe, still giggling.

"It's not very funny," frowned Morinaga. "It was a good thing that Nii-san and Dr. Uzuki were holding him back, or Senpai might've…"

"That's not it at all," Kurokawa said, wiping tears from his eyes. "It just sounded exactly like something he would do."

Tomoe nodded. "Yeah."

Now that Morinaga thought about it, it really was. And it comforted Morinaga that someone was at least willing to stand up for him. Senpai, Kunihiro…even Tomoe and Kurokawa.

"Don't worry, Morinaga-kun," whispered Tomoe. "Nii-san would never abandon you."

"We won't, either," Kurokawa declared.

Morinaga smiled, and then nodded slowly. Maybe, after last night, he could start believing that.


After Morinaga finished his speech therapy, he got a shock: his parents had returned to visit.

Morinaga looked desperately at Tomoe and Kurokawa, then at his parents. What would he do if his parents found out about Tomoe and Kurokawa's relationship?

He didn't even have anyone acting as mediator…Dr. Uzuki, Saitou and Peter had all left. Kunihiro must have gone out too.

Isane brightened up when she entered the room. "Oh, Tetsuhiro, I didn't know you had visitors." Her eyes were still red, but she was trying.

"Ah…yes. Mom, Dad, these are Tatsumi Tomoe and Kurokawa Mitsugi. Tomoe, Kurokawa-san, these are our parents."

"I'm Isane." Said their mother with a smile. "My husband is Genichirou."

"Tatsumi, eh?" snorted their father. "You're related to that person last night?"

"Uhm, yes, he's my older brother."

"Is he coming?"

"I'm not sure. But he comes here every day, so…I suppose he will."

Isane, meanwhile, was busying herself making a milkshake for Morinaga. "Which fruit would you like? There's strawberries and melon."

"Strawberries, please."

"Have you thought about last night?" Genichirou inquired.

"Ah…yes, a little."

"And?"

Morinaga looked so pained that Kurokawa felt the need to butt in. "Genichirou-san, I don't think that's necessary."

Both Genichirou and Isane stared at him. "But isn't it abnormal?" Isane remarked. "Loving a man, it's not supposed to be, is it? Tetsuhiro should meet a nice girl and get married! Of course, Kunihiro got divorced, but that doesn't mean there's no chance for Tetsuhiro. He's smart and a very nice boy. As long as he keeps it a secret that he used to be gay, I don't see how he can't get a wife."

Tomoe's mouth was hanging open. Kurokawa, for his part, was certain that if he was a little less control of his temper, he would've kicked a shoe at her too.

"M-Mom…" stuttered Morinaga.

"Don't worry about anything, son. If you decide to go into counseling we'll support you all the way. Don't worry about the Masaki family." Genichirou said.

How could one face contain so much hurt? Kurokawa's chest felt tight with sympathy and pity. The strawberry milkshake in Morinaga's hand was wobbling.

Tomoe abruptly stood up. Kurokawa looked at his husband, and was not surprised to see Tomoe's rare disapproving expression.

He did, after all, carry Tatsumi blood in him. Kurokawa sometimes forgot, but his Tomoe also had a rebellious streak.

"Genichirou-san, Isane-san, I don't think I've introduced myself properly. I'm Kurokawa Tomoe, and this is my husband, Murokawa Mitsugi. We've been married for almost two years now and we're very happy."

Isane looked bewildered. "But, Tomoe-san, aren't you a boy?"

"Yes."

Genichirou turned red. "And you knew?" he asked his son.

"Yes," Morinaga answered simply. "They're my friends."

Genichirou reacted before any of them could: his heavy hand shot out and smacked Morinaga in the face.


"Morinaga-kun!" Tomoe screamed, running over to the bed.

Morinaga collapsed on the bed, writing in agony. His father had hit him on his uninjured side-luckily or unluckily-and he'd landed on his bandaged side.

Kurokawa moved to stand near Genichirou, on the lookout for any more hits. Now wonder Souichi was so angry last night. For the first time, Kurokawa found himself wanting to give in to Souichi's violent tendencies.

Who the hell hits an injured person?!

More to the point, who the hell hits their son for being gay?

"Should I call a nurse?" Tomoe asked no one in particular, clearly panicky. Morinaga was still curled up on the bed.

Isane was by her son's side, smoothing through his hair. She was murmuring something to Morinaga. Every once in a while she looked up to stare at her husband, looking angry.

But Genichirou himself seemed sorry for what he did. He was pale, and he was staring at his hand like it was a separate part of him.

"I…I'm sorry. Oh, Tetsuhiro, I'm so sorry." He sat down hard on a chair, his face in his hands. "We're trying, son, but we don't know what to do anymore."

"You could try accepting him, " said a cold voice at the door. With a foreboding thrill of horror, they all turned to see Souichi, with Kunihiro and a nurse.

Kami. How long had they been standing there?

The nurse went straight to Morinaga and began to try and coax him. Morinaga slowly relaxed, and the nurse injected medicine into his IV.

Kurokawa looked at Genichirou to see what his reaction was, but he seemed too wrapped up in his thoughts to notice Souichi much. "We just wanted him to be normal," the older man said wearily. "Have a normal life."

"Morinaga's a hundred times better than some people I know," Souichi said evenly. "Definitely he's more of a man than you are."

"I...I can't..." Genichirou seemed to struggle for words. "I can't accept that choice he made, in his life. Can he ever be happy without a normal family?"

"I don't understand you," Souichi said. "Family doesn't come with conditions. They just are. You love them because they're family. You don't put conditional statements for love. That's not how love works."

Souichi glanced at Kurokawa, before continuing, "My brother is gay. He's married and they're happy. I hate the situation, and I fucking hate the husband, but I wouldn't stop loving my brother because of that."

"Nii-san," Tomoe said, touched.

Kurokawa bit back a smile. Was there a compliment hidden somewhere underneath all that?

"Then you're abnormal, too," Genichirou said flatly. He stood up, and then left. Isane hesitated, her gaze darting from Kurokawa, Tomoe, Souichi and Morinaga, before finally resting on her younger son. Finally, she bowed,and followed her husband.

Kurokawa looked down at Morinaga. He was unconscious.

"Too bad you missed all that, Morinaga-kun," he whispered.


Kunihiro was staring at Souichi. "Thank you," Kunihiro murmured. "I need to go after my parents."

Souichi nodded. Kunihiro turned and departed quickly.

"I'm sorry, Nii-san," Tomoe mumbled. "I think it was all my fault."

Souichi snorted. "Don't apologize, it would've come out sooner or later anyway. Dr. Uzuki had told me that they'll ban me from the hospital if I so much at yelled at those worthless pieces of shit that Morinaga calls his parents, so I'll have to settle for this."

"I think Morinaga-kun would appreciate what you did," Kurokawa offered.

Souichi scowled. "If you tell him what I told them, I'll make sure you're sent back to California as packaged ground meat."

Kurokawa turned white. He had absolutely no doubt that Souichi could carry out that threat.

"Nii-san!" Tomoe protested.


When Morinaga woke up, hours later, it was late afternoon. His parents were there, along with Kunihiro, Souichi, Tomoe and Kurokawa. The tension in the room was so thick that it was stifling, and Morinaga had the vague sense that they hadn't been speaking at all.

Two families. His past one...

And maybe, another that he could be part of.

"How are you feeling?" his mother whispered, caressing his hair.

How did he feel? Heavy. Sad.

Lonely.

Because he knew now, what he wanted.

He wasn't really surprised that his father hit him. When Genichirou first found out about his homosexuality, he had hit him too. He was just embarrassed that Tomoe and Kurokawa had to see.

And he was ashamed that Genichirou thought his friendship with Tomoe and Kurokawa was so wrong.

Genichirou was looking at him. Waiting.

He did not like to meet his father's eyes. Instead he looked for support: in Kunihiro,in Tomoe, in Kurokawa.

In saved his Senpai for last, needing to draw on Souichi's just that. He wasn't even asking for love.

But when Morinaga and Souichi's eyes met, he saw in there something that made his heart soar: not love, exactly, but a fierce protectiveness that was Souichi's own brand of showing affection. This was the Senpai that he knew best: the one that stood up for him, the one that had stayed by his side always, just as Morinaga had stayed for him.

His look said:

I don't care if your parents are idiots.

I don't care if they think you're touched in the head, or abnormal, or unable to be happy.

You just stay here with me, or I'll rip your fucking head off.

Stay, you moron. I want you so stay right here. With me.

You're fine just the way you are.

Tears began to gather in Morinaga's eyes.

"Tetsuhiro?!" several voices said in alarm.

"I-" for a second he was too choked with emotion to speak. He tried again. "I'm sorry, Dad, Mom. I don't want to go to therapy. I won't. I'm...not abnormal," he gasped,almost forcing the words out. "I'm just different. Different. I love you, so much, I love you, but I won't. I...I'm happy now. Really, I'm happy."

And here was the final distinction between the people who loved him and the people who didn't: Kunihiro, Kurokawa and Tomoe all smiled, while Genichirou and Isane looked disappointed.

And Senpai...he looked...almost happy.

"You won't see a psychiatrist?" Isane said.

"No," Morinaga said resolutely.

His parents waited for a while longer, as if hoping he would change his mind. Then Genichirou shook his head.

"You were always stubborn," he said.

"I got it from you," Morinaga said, attempting to make a joke out of it.

"The you know that we can't accept your decision."

Morinaga was ready for that. "Yes."

Genichirou nodded slowly. "Yes," he agreed. "If there's nothing we can do, there's no point in us staying."

"Dad!" Kunihiro exclaimed, shocked.

But Morinaga was calm. "Yes."

Genichirou stood. "This is good bye, then."

"Good bye," Morinaga echoed. "I love you, Dad. Mom."

Genichirou inclined his head. "You take care of yourself."

"I will."

Isane was looked pale and sad. She bent her head towards Kunihiro, and gave him a kiss on his forehead. For Tetsuhiro, a kiss on each side of the cheek.

They left together, Morinaga's parents, for this last goodbye. And it was the last goodbye. Before, they had parted under harsh circumstances. Morinaga was thrown out of the family.

But now, it was Morinaga himself who chose to walk out that door. It was he, himself, who chose to walk this path, whatever it might bring him.

"Goodbye," repeated Morinaga. He was struggling not to cry. The room still had other people, but Morinaga felt alone.

Then a weight rested on the bed. Morinaga looked up, startled, before he was shoved forcefully into someone's chest.

Okay, that kinda hurt. "S-Senpai?"

Morinaga was surprised to notice that Souichi was trembling with some strong emotion. "Senpai?"

"You idiot," Souichi's voice was suspiciously husky. "Just th-this once, I'm allowing you to cry on my shoulder, so...cry. Just let it out. Don't hold anything back, it's unhealthy, moron. And it's over."

It's over.

Well, in more than one sense, it was.

Then it hit him, really hit him, what it meant to have his parents walk away from him. Morinaga's shoulders shook, and he began to sob into Souichi's shoulder.

It was his choice, his choice! But it still hurt! It hurt so much. So much. He was so sorry that he couldn't be the son they wanted. Souichi held him tighter,against the flood of emotions that was plaguing Morinaga.

Souichi was crying, too...

He cried some more, and somewhere in the wailing misery of his heart, he was comforted.

Because Souichi was here, his Souichi-his Senpai- and he, Morinaga, was right in the arms of the person he wanted.

And this was the place where he truly belonged.


A/N: Okay, that was aeon's attempt at hurt/comfort/romance/family/ drama. Somehow it ended up hurting a lot! Though of course it had its fluffy moments...(which I still think isn't my forte.)

I hope that my readers are all very happy with this chapter! I think it's got some scenes which you all like. Speaking of which, I never really realized how v-v-violent you lot are. I've got reviewers asking me to punch Morinaga's parents!

Reviewers: Thank yo so much! Triple digits for a review is a first for me. Really.

GothicNinjaKitty: He only got shoed. Sorry! But I seriously think that Souichi would be banned from the hospital if he punched Genichirou, not to mention antagonize him completely. But that's not to say the thought hadn't crossed my mind. Haha. The cliffhanger was short, wasn't it? I hope I get another review from you! Thanks for your review!

Lady Tsuru27: I live to torture my readers. I think Souichi really gave them some food for the thought, but they've kept it up for more than five years and won't be willing to admit that. I think it's good that Morinaga rejected them, found the courage to, anyway. And, I'm thinking that I will give something on Peter/Hiroto next chapter. Wait for it! Haha, I know you always do. thanks for your review!

Amity33: I didn't think to include Kunihiro, it might send Genichirou straight to a heart attack-it was enough that he found out about a married gay couple! They don't really think of it as a disease,more of like a "problem" that can be solved by counseling. They just want him to be normal, by their definition, which is narrow-minded. Thanks for your review!

Bunny-chan2202: This chapter hurt me! That thing with his parents, oohh! I was feeling so sorry for Morinaga, I had to let Souichi come to the rescue. Hope you liked that scene! Thank you for your review!

Swt Cutie: There's a bit of Peter and Hiroto in the next chapter, I think. Ah, but although I'm mostly a pacifist, I really wanted to laugh when Genichirou called Souichi a homo. I swear I could hear Souichi's sanity snap from the document. Haha. Their father is lucky he only got shoed. Thanks for your review!

kiriohisagi: Surprised? You didn't have to wait a week! Thanks for your review!

Maria Krause: Of course I could never fling a fire extinguisher at you, dear, I love you too much! even after that heart attack you nearly gave me. But maybe I'll fling tiny marshmallows into your hair to annoy you. And...Well, you were right, I got 100! Yay! I'm super happy right now! I'm doing a happy wiggle dance. Thanks for your review! (P.S. Say hi to johnny for me! the bear...)

Miny: this chapter is very tender too, especially towards the end! Morinaga finally stands up for himself. Yay for Morinaga! Thanks for your review!

fullmoon: my hundreth! aquí es su próximo capítulo! Espero que les encanta leer tanto como me encantó hacerlo. gracias! (i hope I got that right...)

To all my readers: I really love it when you leave reviews that tell me a line you liked the most. it makes me want to come up with more of it. Thanks you to all those who had followed and favorited this story, and this author.

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