Five minutes had passed and I was sat up in a rather awkward position with a nurse sitting behind me dabbing at the road rash and cuts I had gained from the car smashing into me. I closed my eyes as the antiseptic she used on my back stung a particularly painful cut.

"Sorry about that, whoever had bandaged you earlier didn't do a great job at cleaning the wounds, this one's still got a bit of dirt in it. It's a good thing your wounds reopened or this might have become infected." The nurse told me as she wrapped the bandage around the lower half of my chest. She had had to remove all the bandages from my torso and was reapplying them all, just to be on the safe side, as she had pointed out when I questioned her. It was a bit uncomfortable as she pulled on the white bandages but I tried not to make a sound. She had enough problems dealing with the wounds to have to worry about hurting me too.

It was only a minute later when she pulled at the bandages and patted them down.

"There, that should be it" she told me as she pushed herself to her feet. "I didn't hurt you did I?" She asked as she readjusted her clothes that had been disturbed from sitting awkwardly behind me.

"No, it was fine" I assured her giving her a slight smile, it felt much better having fresh bandages on me. There was no horrid squelch when I laid back from the blood. Not to mention the bandage didn't feel like it was sticking to me anymore. I had hated that feeling, as the blood would dry together the sting I got from moving was all the more painful.

"That's good. Now if you need anything else just call" she told me as she placed her hand on my shoulder giving me a comforting smile. I nodded to tell her I understood and she left the room. As soon as the door closed Dan smiled at me.

"I can go call the others if you want to see them. I know they all missed you greatly. Hell, I doubt I'd be able to keep just one in here when they hear you're back. I had to tell them a friend of mine was hurt to get here. If they'd have known it was you then you'd have been swarmed as soon as you arrived" I smiled at him as he pulled out his phone.

"Yeah, you can call them Dan. I want to see them. I've only spoken to you and Runo" I saw a confused look cross his face.

"When did you speak to Runo?" He asked me and I guessed Runo didn't tell him that I called.

"Not too long ago. I spoke to her when I called you, she said you went to the bathroom so we talked for a little while" he nodded his head at my answer and leaned back in his chair.

"Alright, well, I guess I'll call them. I'm sure Marucho can get them all here in no time." I smiled at him as he dialled in the number for Marucho's house. I felt a small pit of worry in my stomach at the thought of them being here but I calmed myself. There was no point being stressed, I had to see them sometime. Right?

It felt no more than five seconds before the room was bombarded with people. Three girls and a small boy, who wasn't quite as small as I remember, they looked relieved as soon as they piled into the small room.

I had been grabbed in hugs that had quickly ended after an unintentional hiss of pain. Now, they had all calmed a little and were sitting around me, asking a million questions all at once.

"Alright, can we have one at a time, I'm getting a splitting headache." I asked, as they all quietened down. They agreed, thankfully, and Alice was the first to speak to me. In words I could make out and not just a mass of noise.

"Where have you been for the past two years?" She asked me as she sat on the other side of the bed to Dan.

"Anywhere, basically, I've been anywhere I could go." I answered, not being specific. If I was honest to myself I couldn't remember much of my first year of running.

"Were you safe?" Runo asked, she was sat beside Dan a look of worry etched onto her face.

"Mostly, I did have to sleep in the open quite a bit but, I did have a place to stay most nights." I answered truthfully. I did get a roof over my head most nights, it was rare that I slept in the open.

"That's good, I guess, better than it could have been at least. I don't know much about what you did that night but I know that you did it rash. Shun, can you tell us what happened?" Marucho was the next to speak. And it wasn't a mystery as to what he wanted to know. I sighed and nodded to them and began to recite the story.

It took a while to explain it all, they each wanted to know small details and I could hardly keep them quiet to get the story out. I had never thought Dan would be the one to try and keep everyone quiet. Seemed he had matured since the last time I'd seen him. I did manage to complete it and they were all silent after I finished. Had I been well I might have thought it was typical of them to talk through the story and be quiet after. But I knew they were just trying to comprehend the story I'd just told.

"Well, I think it's safe to say I handled that story a lot better than you lot" Dan's voice broke through the silence and when I looked over to him he was smirking with his hands resting behind his head a wide grin on his face. So maybe not as mature as I had initially thought.

"What, you already heard it?" Runo asked scowling at Dan.

"Yeah, course I did, he's my best friend, best friends get superiority to everyone else." Dan stated as he sat straight in his chair, folding his arms over his chest. I shook my head at him. Definitely not as mature as I had thought.

"Uh, you're so annoying"

"Look, it's not important anymore, you all know what happened. I'm guessing you can understand why I ran now" they all nodded and Alice pushed herself up from her chair.

"We do Shun, but you don't have to leave us again. You felt bad, you acted out of character. Now you can come back home, Marucho still has your room ready for you" she stood closer to me and sat on the side of the bed, almost like she was trying to convince me without actually ordering me.

"When I leave here I'll have to, I don't have a home anymore. I'm really sorry guys, I shouldn't have left" I couldn't stay stuck to one thing, I felt so guilty for making them worry as badly as I did that I just wanted to reassure them that I felt bad.

"You did what you thought was right Shun, don't beat yourself up" Marucho spoke up

"Yeah the car did that" all eyes turned to Dan who smirked sheepishly. "Before you have a go let me explain. He's beating himself up over this and if it wasn't for the car he'd still be gone and doing it in private. At least now the cars got him we can help him move past it."

I smirked as everyone nodded their heads at his explanation and I held in a roll of the eyes. That was the most rushed explanation ever. I knew what he meant, and that was exactly what he said, it was his muttered joke. A joke that backfired and he had to save face. So to say. I looked at him through the corner of my eye and saw him give me a small guilty grin. Smirking I kept my mouth shut. Who cared if he was an idiot? I'm still going to be stuck with him as a best friend.

"That's a very good metaphor Dan, but let's keep them for later. Shun almost died from that crash" I held in a laugh at Marucho, he was a smart kid but very naïve. He needed to learn not to believe everything he was told. Glancing at Dan I could see a mild amazement in his eyes that he'd gotten away with that comment.

One of them was about to talk but before I could recognise the voice the rooms door was opened, the nurse from earlier poking her head around the corner. She could see us all staring at her and from the way she pulled at the collar of her shirt I guessed she was feeling uncomfortable.

"Excuse me, you all need to leave and allow Shun to get some rest." She told them all, her voice quiet. Nodding to the nurse they stood walking to the door and passing her. As they all passed me they gave me a quick hug which I returned. As soon as they left the room I was laid back on the bed by my nurse as she turned the light off. Allowing me to get some much needed rest.

One month later

It took them a month to deem me as safe to go home, I was relieved when that day came. I had spent so long in bed I had feared my muscles had permanently frozen. It was clear when I had stood from the bed just how much damage that long on bed rest had done to me. If Dan hadn't have been there I'd have been on the floor.

But the month in hospital was needed, the crash had caused more than a few cuts and scrapes. When they X rayed me they saw that I had a few cracked ribs. They also discovered that the reason for my heart stopping and me nearly dying after the crash was because a rib had nicked the corner of my heart causing slow bleeding. Thankfully that's been fixed and I'm completely better. Save for a few bandages that I have to keep on for a little longer to help with my healing wounds.

Both from the accident and the surgeries I've had to have. It was a weird feeling knowing that I was going to have scars for the rest of my life. I'd never had that many scars and to know that I had multiple now, and that they were far more noticeably than the ones I had picked up as a child was a strange realisation. But it was to be expected and I accepted it.

Right now I was sitting in Marucho's limo waiting for them to pull up to his house. He'd said I could stay for a few months till I was completely healed then he'd help me find a flat for myself. I was grateful for the offer and of course didn't turn it down. I doubt I could have even if I wanted to. The others had insisted I stay for more than a week, as I had offered, and to ensure that I did they all moved in too. I was feeling quite bad for Marucho for that, but it'd be just like old times again.

"Hey Shun" I turned to the small blonde's voice

"Yeah, Marucho?"

"We're here" he told me simply as the car stopped. Looking out the black tinted window I could see the tower of a house. It hadn't changed in the slightest. It still looked like it had the same flowers out front as it did two years ago. With a small sigh I followed my small friend out of the car. Closing the door behind me I started to walk up to the house.

Looking up at that house I knew for certain that my friends had forgiven me. And if they could, then it was only a matter of time before I forgave myself. I didn't have to run from my mistake anymore.

This was the final chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed reading it, and please read review.