Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of the characters related to it. They all belong to Konomi Takeshi. Also, I do not own Fire Emblem or any of the elements from the series.

Rating: T for implied adult themes in certain chapters.

Author's Note: Now we're halfway through January (how?!) OTL

I went to Japan to see my brother who is studying abroad in Kyoto from Dec. 20th-Jan 4th. I have never gone anywhere out of the state by myself and that was an amazingly fantastic trip. I got to eat a lot of new foods, met some of my fandom friends in real life, did a lot of healthy walking, spent entirely too much on doujinshi, books, and things from Animate (I'm in two of the biggest fandoms... Prince of Tennis and Kuroko no Basuke... and I like the singing voices of Uta no Prince-sama, which is also a large fandom). I think today my body's sleeping schedule and eating schedule has finally gone back to my time zone. *crosses fingers*

The Wyvern Lord totally goes from being an NPC to a main supporting character as I was writing this story. So does the military school commander... and the Sentinel... and the entrance gate guard... and then they all become main characters in the prequel and other additional stories. Why is this universe so large?! So much to do - so little time /o\

ANYWAYS, last chapter was Platinum Pair talking about all of the things, and now comes the next big emotional hammer of doom. Read - enjoy - review. The author loves hearing all of your thoughts and feels so please share away! Thank you very much for the continued support of this story! :)

PS - The Fire Emblem: Awakening game bundle has the 3DS in Cobalt Blue. Umm... I LOVE THAT COLOR but I am so broke from Japan! T_T


Part 4 - Chapter 2 - The Price

Yukimura stretched out on his bed before flopping onto his stomach and splaying his body to a spread eagle position. He tugged another pillow closer to him and then picked it up to put on the back of his head. Yukimura felt restless and he thought that lounging in comfort would do the trick.

'Hmm… but it does feel nice to move around like normal again,' Yukimura thought as he fumbled behind him for his covers, yanking them over his body when he found the fabric. 'I can't wait to see them all again soon…'

His surgery was miraculously successful, but the recovery period was miserable. He moved sluggishly and his endurance only lasted for a little bit before he felt faint and short of breath. Yukimura had to go through careful training to get back into shape, but the slow and low-intensity process greatly frustrated him. There were many nights that he threw his sword away, upset at how poor his skills were.

If the military school commander and entrance gate guard weren't around, he may have given up and caved into despair. However, they stood strong for him and dealt with all of his stubbornness without getting annoyed, and they constantly reminded him that there were people waiting for him to become healthy again.

He pushed himself very hard when some of his strength started to return despite warnings that he might hurt himself. Yukimura firmly ignored them - he knew what he had to do to become even better than where he started. He was going to be the most skilled fighter in the land, respected by his citizens and feared by his enemies, and nothing was going to stop him any longer.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts and he cleared his throat and rolled over before speaking.

"What is it?" he asked and the door opened partway.

"The Wyvern Lord would like me to inform you that he will be arriving on your balcony shortly."

"Is that so? Thank you for your message," he responded and door was closed.

Yukimura leapt up from the bed without bothering to fix the covers and straightened out his clothes. His heart started racing at the fact that his army was finally home and because he didn't expect them for a few more days.

'Did they win decisively?' Yukimura thought to himself as he passed the space he did his artwork. 'Is that why they are back so early? Or… did they lose?' The same questions he had been asking himself for days and days were back on the forefront of his mind - constantly recycling themselves even though he knew he had no new information to work with. He hated not having concrete answers - a trait he shared with all of his advisors and high-ranking military members.

He approached the glass balcony doors and opened them, letting in a cool, but gentle breeze. Yukimura looked towards the skies to see if the Wyvern Lord was in sight and he spotted a tiny black speck getting larger fairly quickly. Yukimura's heart felt like it was going to thump right out of his chest, pounding harder and harder as each second passed.

When the wyvern got extremely close, he shot almost straight upwards and the Wyvern Lord, who had been sitting side saddle, jumped off. He landed in a crouched position with a heavy thump and took a few seconds before straightening up and bowing.

"That was an incredibly precise and astounding entrance," Yukimura remarked, recalling how the Wyvern Lord's face looked very calm and serious even as he fell several feet from the sky.

"Thank you, my lord," he said proudly. "It took a bit to perfect, and several injuries later, I can now do it without worry."

"Errr… do you spy on me?"

"Oh no no," the Wyvern Lord said with a laugh. "It was how I used to visit your father at night. He tried twice to see if he could do it it - your mother wasn't happy when he broke several bones and wasn't able to move for a week. The military school commander was mad at him too, so he stopped. Oh yeah, he was more mad at me though for allowing him to try."

"Hmm… sounds like him," Yukimura said with a small smile. "Enough about that. I am glad to see that you are in good health…" Yukimura trailed off when he noticed the eyepatch and a couple of scars on his neck.

"I am thankful that it wasn't any worse," he said, noticing the concerned stare. "And I see that you have made a full recovery. The soldiers will rejoice when they hear of the good news."

Lord Yukimura adjusted his cape before stepping out onto the balcony and resting his forearms on the railing.

"Did we win?" he asked, staring at his currently lifeless garden. He took a deep breath, bracing himself for the answer.

"No, my lord."

He exhaled, feeling a bit sick that his worst fear had become a reality.

"But we didn't lose either."

"A stalemate?" Yukimura asked blankly, mentally stunned in surprise. "How? We sent seven fighters."

"Dragon King Sakaki showed up at a very critical moment," the Wyvern Lord explained. "It was extremely tight between us and then there were some complications… his arrival was more beneficial to us in the end - mainly to spare any more unnecessary lives being lost…"

"As well as other things, I presume?" Yukimura asked coldly, sensing that the Wyvern Lord was trying to obscure some facts from him.

"The commander wishes to speak to you personally on the outcome," he replied as neutrally as he could. "I can say that Seigaku's main goal was to establish themselves as a strong military country in the eyes of the others. And that they were seeking the Fire Emblem from us."

"The fact that they are not here means Dragon King Sakaki came up with an alternative. That also means they will not be attacking us again for a while," Yukimura surmised, turning to the face the Wyvern Lord. Yukimura beckoned him towards him and he approached respectfully.

"Are you hiding something from me?" he inquired, looking straight into his dark brown eyes and he was sure that a flash of fear appeared, but there was no visible movement from them otherwise.

"My lord, I am under orders to report only what the commander has ordered," he said dutifully.

"And I can easily override those orders," he said casually, taking another step closer. The Wyvern Lord's breath hitched, but it was barely audible. "But I won't out of respect. I will find out soon enough. Anything else?"

"We will arrive on the eastern grounds and await your orders. It will be your decision as to when to send the soldiers from other towns and cities home."

"I want to meet them by the entrance gate," Yukimura said, brushing past him and reentering his room. He waited until the Wyvern Lord followed him and then shut the balcony door.

"As you wish, Lord Yukimura," he said, falling into step with him as they walked to the doorway leading into the hallway. They walked in silence for a bit as Yukimura processed all of the new information. He couldn't believe that it would end up as a stalemate - as much as he worried, he had complete faith in their ability to dominate in fighting power. Seigaku was either extremely strong or extremely lucky. It was also unknown exactly how much the other sage knew about them, but Yanagi knew just as much about Seigaku if not more.

Then there was what he had to do with those who had lost their fight. He hadn't hardly thought about that since he was confident about them winning, but this was not the case now. He didn't even know who had lost - he doubted it was Sanada, Yanagi, or Yagyuu, but then again, it would have been any of them.

'It is pointless to ask,' Yukimura thought to himself as they stepped out of the castle and his clothing fluttered back in response to the breeze. 'He said he was under orders not to tell.' It was a wise move on their part to send the Wyvern Lord as the messenger - he was one of the few people that Yukimura felt guilty of trying to break because of his age and past relationship to his father.

"Tell me, Wyvern Lord," Yukimura said softly and he turned to look at him. "Are they… are they all alive?"

"… Yes."

"Good, good," he responded, feeling his spirits lift a little. Despite it all, they were his family ad he cared for them.

"My lord!" a voice called out from behind him and he recognized it as the military school commander. "Please let me accompany you!"

"Ah, you just heard of their arrival," Yukimura said, halting to let him catch up.

"One of the servants informed me that the Wyvern Lord had arrived in the castle," he explained hurriedly. "Glad to have you back, old friend."

"Glad to be back."

"Err… what happened to your eye?" he asked when he saw the eyepatch and the Wyvern Lord shrugged.

"Took an arrow there and by the time I found a healer, it was too late to restore my eyesight."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," he said, smiling. "It makes me look more like a manly beast."

"Even to this day, you still can be ridiculously absurd and full of yourself," he said with a serious frown.

Yukimura also smiled and the Wyvern Lord laughed. He was suddenly reminded of Sanada, who prided himself on being the best example of a man.

'Soon. I will be seeing you soon' Yukimura thought, imagining the downcast but otherwise impassive face Sanada would have when they arrived. It was the expression of shame for letting his ruler down and bitterness that he couldn't have done more to sway the tides in their favor. As much as he wanted to see the proud and seriously assertive expression, Yukimura was just glad that he was home again so that he could finally express all of his thoughts of him.


Yukimura felt as if an eternity had trickled by before he sighed the tip of a flag in the distance. His two advisors assured him that only a half an hour had passed in reality. His heart had started pounding madly again and he thanked the gods that his health was restored - otherwise he was sure that he would have passed out in pain.

He kept his eyes peeled for Sanada's heavy black armor or his large deep red cape - any second now and he would appear. What he was going to say first to him, he didn't know, but he just wanted to see the face of the man he loved dearly before anything else.

Brown hair was seen first before a man in silver armor appeared. It was Yagyuu, looking stoic but worn, and a few moments later, some of the others appeared at his side. He could see Marui, Niou, and the Sentinel, but none of the others. Yukimura looked at the Wyvern Lord with a curious expression and saw that he was staring determinedly ahead.

The convoys pulled off into a clear area just outside of the castle walls and the soldiers continued advancing forward to stop in front of Yukimura. Out of the head convoy, Yanagi and Kirihara came out and joined the others, Kirihara limping as Yanagi helped him along. As soon as they were within ten feet of Yukimura and Yagyuu climbed off of his horse, they all bowed and remained in that position.

"You may rise," Yukimura said after a few seconds, looking at each one of their fatigued yet neutral faces. His heart throbbed nervously as he tried to ascertain where Sanada and Jackal had gone to.

"We are happy to see that you are well," Yagyuu said in a gentle, but cautious tone. Yukimura didn't like how they all seemed uncomfortable to be near him.

"I take it Yanagi and Kirihara lost," Yukimura said, stalling for time. He looked at them and the two looked towards the ground, downcast. "Well… did you try your best?"

"Yes, my lord," they both replied.

"We all did," Yagyuu confined. "There wasn't a single soldier on the field that didn't."

"And yet some of you still lost," he said, looking at the rest of them dead in the eye. "Does that mean they are stronger than us?"

"It was so close…" Marui hesitantly spoke up. "It came down to sheer luck."

"Luck for some," Yukimura said, pacing back to his original spot in front of Yagyuu. "Perhaps emotions for a few others?" he added coldly, looking at Yanagi who looked back up with a resolute expression.

"No, they did not interfere," he said honestly. "He is an incredibly talented sage. I made a wrong move and it was my undoing."

"Regardless, you still lost," Yukimura state firmly as the other soldiers behind them continued standing still, awaiting orders. "I will punish you later."

"Yes, my lord."

'And still Sanada is nowhere to be seen,' Yukimura thought to himself. 'What the hell is going on?'

"Well, where is Sanada?" Yukimura finally asked them, now knowing that Sanada was not in the back making his way forward. "Is he taking care of Jackal in the convoy?"

Silence greeted him as they shifted on the spot. Marui, Niou, and Kirihara looked extremely distant.

'Alive, that's what the Wyvern Lord said!' Yukimura reminded himself forcefully.

"Lord Yukimura…"

"Now! I want to see his face," Yukimura said, very annoyed at the situation. "Even if he's ashamed that he lost - I don't care about his feelings right now. I did not choose a coward to be my top general."

"Marui, go get them," Yagyuu said, voice quavering slightly as he spoke. Yukimura watched Marui dash off to the rear of the convoy, presumably open the door, and return. It was difficult to wait and he felt burdened with dread and anxiety.

Finally, they both appeared, Jackal carrying Sanada in his arms and Yukimura felt his heart stop in response. Sanada's armories body hung limply, moving only with each step that Jackal took. His clothes obscured all of his wounds so Yukimura had no way of seeing what all was damaged on him.

Lots of emotions burst forth and he had to refrain himself from being impulsive about any of them. He wanted to demand why Sanada was even in such a state and he wanted to lash out at the lot of them just to inflict pain that matched his own. Yukimura wanted to hold Sanada in his own arms and scream at him until he woke up, and he himself was so close to breaking down and quitting entirely.

Most of all, he felt completely slighted by fate. He fought so hard to recover quickly and strongly so that he would be able to see all of them again. Now the one man he had wanted to see the most was unconscious and fighting for the last thread of his life.

"General Sanada…" he said softly when Jackal stopped in front of him.

"He's alive, Lord Yukimura."

"I don't understand how he still is…"

"Dragon King Sakaki gave him a potion of sorts," Kirihara spoke up from where he was leaning on Yanagi. "It kept him in the state he was in."

"Nothing would affect him," Marui added. "The only thing we had to do was keep him relatively warm."

Yukimura nodded as a tiny flicker of hope was created in his heart. As much as he wanted to retreat to the castle with Sanada, he still had the rest of the army to address first.

"Jackal. Please drape him over Yagyuu's horse. I will have the entrance gate guard take him to his room."

"Yes, Lord Yukimura."

"Captain Yagyuu, please lead the army in and then when the last person is through, have them do an about face towards the gate entrance and I will speak to them."

"As you wish."

"Lord Yukimura," the Wyvern Lord called out and he turned to the side to look at him.

"What?"

"You are doing the right thing," he reassured. "Continue being strong for a just a while longer."

"If my army fought their absolute hardest for me," he said with firm conviction. "Then I need to let them know that I truly value that. Only Yanagi, Kirihara, and Sanada when he recovers, will be duly punished."

"You have grown into such a mature ruler so quickly," the military school commander commented.

"This is a test of my strength and my ability to prioritize," he stated as he whirled around and his cape flared out behind him. "I won't lose to this. Give the order, Captain Yagyuu - let's not keep the soldiers waiting any longer."

He started walking away, flanked by the military school commander and the entrance gate guard who was guiding Yagyuu's horse with Sanada slung over it. The sound of a mass of people and horses moving on ground, wind being pushed as wyverns flew off and circled around to get over the wall, and commands being passed along filled the air. Yukimura and the commander turned to the side to head towards a way to get onto the top of the wall, but the gate guard kept going forward with Sanada's body. It was all he could do to keep his heart from leaving with him.


As bitter as he was about the end result of a stalemate and the defeat of two of the demons, he was greatly relieved that more lives were not wasted and that they had their chance for retribution. His speech was simple and honest - proud that they fought as hard as possible for their country, sad for the lives lost and the families that would be affected, and moved that they had thirsted so badly to fight in General Sanada's name. The burden of being the one that had the ultimate power was heavy, and today he felt as if he was being utterly crushed by its weight. However, the response that he received reminded him that they were there to help carry the load, and for that, he was truly thankful.

After the cheering had died down, he issued orders for the soldiers from out of town to rest in the castle and the school for two nights so they could have the time to decide their next plan of action. Everyone else could return home to rest and then report back to the castle in the afternoon to help clean up the convoys.

They all moved quickly and effectively - eager to get into the warmth of a building and have their first home-cooked meal since they had departed one and a half months ago. Lord Yukimura gave a nod to the military school commander before climbing down the ladder to get back on the ground, promptly heading towards the castle with an extremely brisk stride.

'Things are set now,' he told himself as he expectedly weaved his way through bustling soldiers. 'I can finally see Sanada.'

Once he was in a part of the castle where there wasn't anyone, he started sprinting towards Sanada's room. He really couldn't wait any longer - he needed to feel with his own hands that his heart was still beating.

A part of him was angry that the Wyvern Lord did not outright tell him that Sanada was very wounded and unconscious, but the other part of him knew that he would react rashly if he did and would have been in no condition to address the troops. Yagyuu was extremely clever in his decision of who to use and what they were allowed to say. It was a move that Sanada would have been proud of if he was in any state to feel that way.

The door to Sanada' room was ajar and Yukimura slipped inside, clutching a stitch on his chest. Yukimura saw that the doctor was standing by the window, watching Yukimura make his way to the bed.

"How is he, doctor?" he asked breathlessly as he looked at Sanada's unusually pale face. He reached out and touched his skin, and he wasn't quite as cold as he looked. However, there was a slow and weak heartbeat, and Yukimura found it very disconcerting.

"Stable," was his reply. "Whatever the Dragon King did to him allowed him to return to us alive and with a chance to live."

"I wonder if the Dragon King will request any favors of me?" Yukimura said as he slipped the covers off of his upper body and then tugged his shirt up. His chest was marred with wounds, but there was a considerably large and deep one near his heart. They looked very fresh and tender, but Yukimura pressed against one carefully to see if the skin would break. Nothing happened at all so he pressed as hard as he could before withdrawing his hand and seeing that it didn't even leave a mark.

He saw that the necklace he had given him was still intact, glowing an ethereal deep red. There wasn't any magic on the charm, but he had hoped that somehow the gods would have protected him from harm when they saw how much love he had put into the making of the necklace. Carefully, he untied the knot and took the necklace to put it around his own neck. Yukimura saw that his own necklace's sapphire charm nestled perfectly against the ruby charm.

"Would you grant any favor he asks?"

"Absolutely. He is considerate and generous and now I owe much to him."

There was a soft knock on the door out of respect before a telltale swish of robes entered the room.

"Yanagi… when is this potion going to wear off?"

"Soon, Lord Yukimura," he replied, coming over to the bedside to look at him. "When it wears off, he will be faced with darkness and he must fight to not succumb to it."

"Then he will not lose," Yukimura declared softly, motioning for a chair to sit down in.

"He will not."

Yukimura quietly thanked the doctor before taking a seat and placing Sanada's hand within his own. They waited silence as the seconds trickled by, watching for the smallest sign of a chance. Yukimura could not take his eyes off of Sanada's injuries, imagining how their fight may have happened, but knowing he would never be able to confirm until he woke up.

"He fought with true valor, didn't he?"

"Until the very end," Yanagi confirmed. "Otherwise he would have conceded earlier to avoid being in this state."

"He is going to blame himself when he wakes up."

"Without a doubt."

"Sanada," Yukimura said to him, squeezing his hand. "I want… you to come back to me as soon as possible. Don't keep me waiting long - I can't handle this any more."

A more audible breath escaped his lips and Yukimura's eyes flared open in response.

"Sanada?!" he said as Sanada's hand suddenly clenched his own. His body trembled and faint, groggy noises were sounding in the back of his throat. Before anything could be done, his head turned over to one side and all was still again.

"Sanada! Sanada! Wake up!" Yukimura yelled at him, hoping the sound of his voice would bring him back. He kept calling for him over and over, but it wasn't until a minute had passed before he started convulsing,

The doctor had closed the space between the window and the bed in a few, long strides and had a bottle of liquid out. Yanagi was also right by his side with his staff. Some wounds had been reopened when Sanada had arched his body and they were ready to attend to him.

Glowing particles quickly surrounded Sanada's body as the doctor tipped the liquid into the open wounds. Yukimura was squeezing his hand so tightly that he was sure that he had cut off Sanada's blood circulation.

"Sanada! Don't do this to me! Open your eyes!"

"Uhh…" a faint grown issued as his body shook slightly once again.

"Damn it! You will not torture me like this!" he cried loudly, completely beside himself.

"My lord!" Yanagi said firmly, taking one step away from Sanada's body and put a hand on Yukimura's shoulder.

"DO NOT TOUCH ME!" Yukimura snarled, batting his hand away before grabbing Sanada by his shirt and hoisting him up.

"Lord Yukimura!"

"Sanada Genichirou! If you decide to make my surgery recovery be all in vain, I will dig your body up from the grave and tear you limb from limb before I ask the gods to make your afterlife a living hell!"

He let his upper body drop back onto the bed because pushing him away forcibly had a chance of hurting him since the Dragon King's potion had finally worn off.

"Lord Yukimura!" Yanagi pleaded. "There isn't anything we can do for him anymore. He needs to get through the darkness on his own."

"I don't care. I will be here from him until he wakes up," Yukimura said resolutely, sitting down and resuming his hold on Sanada's hand that was limp once again.

"My lord, we don't know how long…"

"Have you healed him to the best of your abilities?"

"Yes, the much larger wounds will heal more slowly, but we have done all that is possible," the doctor announced and Yukimura nodded gravely.

"Good. Then leave us. Both of you."

"Yes, Lord Yukimura," the doctor responded, hustling out of the room. He stopped hallway to see if Yanagi was with him, but saw that he was still by the bed.

"I am coming in a few seconds," he said and the doctor retreated.

"My orders were for you to leave," he said sternly.

"I want to talk to you as a friend and not your advisor," Yanagi explained and Yukimura's eyes flashed in response.

"No, I just want time to myself to be with Sanada. I will summon you later when I am ready."

"It is almost time for dinner…"

"Do not talk to me about dinner when he can't even eat right now!" Yukimura screamed at him, wishing that he had a small object to throw as well. "He can't use any of his senses right now and it is both his fault and that swordmaster's!"

"He was fighting for you above all else!"

"How do I know that?!" he shrieked, hot tears now streaming down his face. "He can't look me in the eyes and say anything. And don't you start on how he would scold me for my childish behavior because I don't give a damn anymore!"

"I'm sorry, Lord Yukimura," Yanagi said, bowing deeply in apology. "I will excuse myself not and come by after dinner to see how stable he is."

"I want you to stop by my room and fetch my blanket and a few pillows before that."

"Yes, my lord."

Not another word was said as Yanagi retreated out of the room and Yukimura turned his attention back to Sanada's face, which was currently facing the ceiling. Yukimura reached under Sanada's shirt and placed it over his heart, feeling it beat faintly as more tears began to fall.

"Sanada, please come back to us… to me…" he pleaded softly as he looked at his unmoving face, diligently watching for the slightest sign of movement. There was none aside from the smallest rise and fall of his chest from breathing.


Hours went by so slowly and the days seemed to last for an eternity. He barely left Sanada's side for longer than half an hour and that was for baths, going to the bathroom, and important meetings with castle officials and council members. The one instance he was gone for a prolonged period of time was when it was time for the troops to head out and he wanted to personally bid them farewell and thank them for their service.

All meals were brought up to Sanada's room, although he stopped eating after a few days. He couldn't force himself to stomach hardly anything with all of the anxiety and stress he had built up. Messages were sent to Sanada's room as well since he had taken to working on business at his desk. The pile started accumulating quickly when he lost all motivation to keep up.

His military duties and gardening tasks were bestowed upon Yanagi and Yagyuu and any other soldiers that were helping, and they accepted this without question. He knew that it was unfair to them that his lack of effort resulted in much extra work for them, but he felt like resigning as ruler at way too many points in the day. Unfortunately, the only way to give up the throne was by passing it onto an heir or by death.

Concern for his well-being ran quite rampant throughout the castle. The place was also considerably depressive because their ruler kept to himself and wasn't in the mood to talk to anybody. They stopped pestering him after a while though - when they knew that he wasn't going to listen and any further attempts would result in their deaths.

Yukimura knew that his actions, or lack of actions, were both hurting himself and everybody else, but he couldn't get himself out of the horribly pessimistic trap he was in. He pushed everyone away purposely now - he didn't want to be consoled or loved. Nothing helped fill the void in his heart because only Sanada regaining consciousness would. At least they respected his space when they understood what he really wanted, but he did send Kirihara into hysterics when he was brought lunch after a few days and refused to eat it.

Yanagi appeared calm and collected on the outside, but Yukimura knew that he was a distraught mess on the inside. Yanagi couldn't do anything for either of his best friends - he could only pick up the pieces of what they were breaking. Yukimura was wholeheartedly thankful to have such a good person in his life though. Despite the many times Yukimura had rebuked him or hurt his pride in an effort to alleviate some of his own pain, Yanagi would be there in the end for him.

One evening, he found himself weak, worn, hungry, tired, and completely stressed. Too many things were going through his mind yet it felt like nothing was processing in his head. He didn't know where to start with anything. Yukimura truly understood what being a emotionally wreck felt like now.

Sanada's body had remained still since the first day he arrived at the castle, except for the occasional deep breath and his head tilting from side to side. Yukimura ran his had along Sanada's cheek fondly and shivered slightly at how cold he had gotten.

"Sanada…" he said hoarsely, blinking back a few tears that were threatening to form. "So… I started a portrait painting of the eight of us after you all left… and when I went through my surgery, I didn't have either you or me finished. After that, once I recovered much of my finer motor skills, I went back to finish it. I wanted to get it all done before you all made it home as a welcome back gift…"

Yukimura sighed at the ironic and cruel twist of fate. He slipped his hand back into Sanada's and said a silent prayer to the gods for Sanada's recovery. Yukimura wished for the hand to squeeze him back, for his eyes to open, and for his voice to speak and let him know that everything was okay.

"The painting is incredibly beautiful… you need to see it. Our family. Our loving family. We want you back. I want you back," Yukimura said, fighting off the descending fatigue of many restless and practically sleepless nights. "You look incredibly serious in it though… like the old man of the group…"

He started nodding off uncontrollably, knowing that sleep was soon going to be inevitable. Yukimura considered going back to his room for a split second to sleep in his bed, but then knew he would just return to to Sanada's room out of worry anyways. He could just fold his arms on the side of the bed and take a short nap although he knew he would wake up very uncomfortably.

Sharking his head, he pulled back the covers of Sanada's bed and pushed him over to the side. It took quite a bit of effort considering how heavy and completely uncooperative his body was being. When there was finally enough space, Yukimura climbed onto the firm bed, pulled the covers over both of their bodies and turned over to face him.

"When I envisioned sleeping with you when you came home," Yukimura said brushing Sanada's hair back into place with his hand. "I was thinking something much more passionate and active."

He smiled weakly at his corny attempt to make the situation slightly better than absolutely depressing.

"I love you…" he said, closing his eyes and pressing himself as close to his body as possible, hoping that his body heat would warm up his cold body. "I don't want to live the rest of my life without you by my side." His heart's beating sounded phenomenally loud compared to Sanada's whose sounded like it was barely beating at all.

'Dear gods,' he thought as consciousness started to slip away. 'Please let him wake. Guide him through the darkness he has to fight and give him the chance to live many more days with me, our friends, our companions, our family…'