DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R^^

Told you this chapter would be here soon ;) Kohaku will go through a lot of mental pain, Lucille… won't feel much of it, probably.

Hours seemed like years, first having to sit on a damned boat for hours, Lucille bandaged and wrapped in a thick blanked, lying in his arms. At least they had medical equipment in here, so the blonde was now hooked up on a machine that actually breathed for him. Not for the first time in his life, Kohaku wished he had been able to go to school when he was a kid, so he could have understood anything the doctors did and said. It made him feel so useless, unable to help the only person in this world who he ever truly loved.

At shore, they were driven to the nearest hospital and there he felt even worse. All he could do was sitting in a waiting area, alone with the knowledge that Lucille was behind those white doors, doctors cutting into him, trying to get out the bullet and stop the bleedings. They were trying to save his life, while Kohaku could only sit here, useless and scared to death that one of those people in white coats would walk out of those doors, telling him… No, he couldn't even let himself imagine that! Lucille had to live! He had to get better, or Kohaku was sure he'd die himself!

When they had just gotten here, he'd called the hotel where Gwindel and Eles were staying in a hurry, only leaving the message to the receptionist to inform them that they should come to the hospital. In the best case, they'd be here in a couple of hours. Honestly, Kohaku hoped they wouldn't be here that soon, not wanting them to see the tears burning in his eyes. Especially not Eles. One nice word, and he'd break down, that was for sure. And he couldn't allow himself to break, not before he knew Lucille was all right. Not before the singer was awake, and smiling, and all better.

At some point, he must have fallen asleep, or just passed out from exhaustion and shock, since he was suddenly woken by a man in a pale green shirt and a hairnet. "Is he…" Those few words were the only ones he managed to stammer, jumping onto his feel immediately, nearly begging the doctor not to tell him what he didn't want to hear.

"He's alive," the doctor said calmly, but the worry in his eyes made Kohaku's blood almost turn into ice. "Maybe you'd better sit down for a moment."

Kohaku dropped down more than sat back onto the plastic chair, suddenly trembling too much to keep standing. "What… is wrong?" he stammered, uncaring of seeming weak.

"We've retrieved the bullet, and the good news is that it didn't hit his heart, lungs or any vital organs," the doctor told him. "The bad news… He has lost an almost fatal amount of blood, and because he stopped breathing temporarily he also suffered some lack of oxygen. His body was in a deep shock, nearly shutting down his organs."

"So… what's wrong?" Kohaku mumbled, barely understanding the medical stuff, but realizing it was bad.

"I'm afraid his brains were damaged. It could very well be nothing severe, but… he's lapsed into a coma. We… we don't know when he'll wake up. If he wakes up." Apparently hating to bring this news, understandably, the doctor swallowed and placed his hand on Kohaku's trembling shoulder for a moment, probably in an attempt to comfort him. "I'm sorry."

For some moments, Kohaku only stared at him, before averting his gaze towards the floor. "Can… can I please see him?"

"Of course," the doctor nodded. "He's in the intensive care department, but since the navy's medical team told us he seemed to be stronger while you were with him, it seemed to us like a good idea to allow you access to his room full time." Gently, he signaled Kohaku to stand up and follow him. "I'll take you to him now."

Underneath the oxygen-mask, Lucille's face was almost more white than the blanket covering his body, and the pillow. It was definitely more pale than the bandages covering his chest and abdomen. Due to all the tubes attached to his frail body, the bandages around his abdomen were partly visibly, and there were already faint blood stains on them. Almost afraid to disturb anything, Kohaku sat down on a small plastic seat next to the white bed.

"L-Lucille…" No response at all, only the slow beeping of a computer showing the singer's faint heartbeat, and the nearly unnoticeable rising and falling of his chest, showing his even fainter breaths. His hand shaking so much, he actually had some trouble aiming, he took the singer's smaller hand into his bigger one. It felt cold, and so strangely limp. "Lucille…" Again, no response. "Lucille…"

Staring at that beautiful face, the body of the only person he truly loved lying here like a living corpse, Kohaku finally felt tears streaming down his cheeks. Letting go of Lucille's hand and instead burying his face in the long blonde hair sprawled on the pillow, he sobbed; "L-Lucille… You can't leave me!" Almost without noticing it, he grabbed Lucille's upper arm like he was trying to pull him out of this unnatural sleep. "Y-you… I love you! Wake up!" Another sob, and now he just let it go. "Wake up! Please… L-Lucille… W-wake u-up…"

The harsh sobs wrecking his body made it impossible to speak, so he just cried like he hadn't done since his childhood. What hurt the most, somehow, was that the singer didn't respond even to that. A sharp pang of guilty went through him, when he realized that a coma wasn't the same as mere unconsciousness. Lucille might feel or even hear something from what was happening around him. Which meant that Kohaku was practically torturing him now, crying like this while the blonde was too weak, too far gone to react. Still, he couldn't stop for what seemed like hours, begging Lucille to wake, and telling him that he loved him, until he suddenly felt a small hand on his shoulder.

"K-Kohaku?" Eles stared at him with a worried and almost terrified look in her big eyes. Gwindel stood behind her, looking stoic as always. "The doctor told us…" Tears started slipping down her cheeks. "What will we do?"

"How the Hell am I s-supposed to know!" Kohaku replied, his voice trembling more than he wanted to allow himself. "I'm n-not leaving his side, no m-matter w-what!" He saw at the look in her eyes that something had changed between him and Lucille, during their week on that damn ship. And that indeed, Kohaku was the one Lucille needed.

"Then… then Gwin and me can try to get work! We can't be an orchestra without him, but to get money, we'll work. Right?" She turned around, looking at the emotionless man beside her. He merely nodded. "And you have to stay with him. W-when he gets out of the hospital, awake or not, you have to take care of him!"

Kohaku also just nodded, but only because he didn't trust his voice enough to speak. A nurse came in, informing them that a nearby hotel had offered to take in them and some other family and friends from people who got injured on the ship. He barely noticed them leave, Gwindel not even saying goodbye and Eles giving Lucille a short, tear-filled kiss onto his forehead before she went after the tall man.

"Lucille? D-did you hear that too?" Kohaku mumbled in the blonde's ear. "No matter what, I'll be there. I'll take care of you for the rest of my life, even if I don't have to." Some tears landed on Lucille's beautiful face, as Kohaku carefully leaned over him and pushed the oxygen-mask a bit to the side, kissing the singer on the corner of his mouth. The faint taste of blood still lingered there, but while shoving the oxygen-mask back in place, Kohaku realized he couldn't care less about that. "I love you, Lucille. And you know that I'll never ever let go of you!"

In some days or less, the first chapter of the sequel will be out^^