The hosts sat in silence. Kyoya had invited them to his home in order to further discuss the situation regarding Tamaki.
"So...how do we do this?" Honey asked.
"Well, I'll talk to Yuuichi and see if he can set something up. Bone marrow harvesting as they call it, is a surgical procedure and there will be a lot of testing but like I said, Tamaki needs this. More can be explained later. I can't force any of you to get tested, but I'm going to. If you're not comfortable with the thought of needles, I hope you'll continue to be there for him. You should understand that this isn't a guarantee. Tamaki may not be able to handle it after all of his treatments and- at least we might be able to give him a slightly better chance." The Shadow king explained.
"I'll do it." Kaoru said. "He'd do it for any of us."
"Hold on, I don't want you going through surgery Kaoru. Do you realize if you match they'll have to use a huge needle and-"
"They'll make me sleep first wouldn't they Kyoya-senpai?" Kyoya nodded. Hikaru crossed his arms.
"You can get tested, but I am too. If it comes down to us kao, I'll do it. I don't want you to-"
"You don't get to decide that for me. This isn't about us. The Boss is really sick and none of us have a right to be selfish. Look what he's given us." The older twin glared at his brother but said nothing.
"I want to try. I haven't been able to do much. At least I can see if I can do something useful." Haruhi added.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Haruhi, we all have limits. It's all right." Kyoya soothed.
"I guess we'll all get the tests." Honey said.
"I'll make the arrangements then. The sooner we begin the better it'll be for Tamaki."
"Does your brother work tomorrow, it'll take time to get the results back. Tama-chan's really sick, if we can get it done, we can move onto the next part when he's ready. There won't be much of a wait."
"I suppose we can go early tomorrow morning, but Tamaki can't find out about it, he'd never have the surgery if he knew it was one of us. Don't talk to him about our plan. "The group agreed.
" you're all welcome to stay in our guest rooms for the night and we'll go in together. I'll have someone show you to them shortly.
Kyoya pulled out his phone and began texting.
I know you're still working, but I'd like to talk to you about tomorrow morning. I know you have an early shift and I have a small group who are willing be tested. Is there anyway you could set that up for us?
Kyoya didn't have long to wait for his answer.
Bring your friends around seven tomorrow morning, I'll meet you at the entrance. You're lucky you caught me on a break.
Thank you, Yuuichi. This means a lot to me.
I know, you two are really close. It must be hard for you, but don't get your hopes too high. Sometimes even with the procedure, it doesn't go the way we hope. If by chance one of you match, just understand that it can be hard to deal with.
Tamaki will be fine. He has to be.
The night seemed endless to Kyoya who hadn't slept at all. When the hosts arrived at the entrance to the hospital, they were surprised to find others waiting as well.
"Shima, Mr. Suoh -" Yuzuru wasted no time in grabbing Kyoya's hand.
"Thank you." He said sincerely, addressing the group.
"We haven't done anything yet, we might not even-' Haruhi began.
" Miss Fujioka, you've done more than you know. I spoke to Tamaki last night and although he sounded ill , he wasn't as upset. Keeping him connected to your club lifted his mood and he looks forward to your visits. I'm grateful to all of you, whether or not any of us match, thank you. " He shook each of the hosts hands.
"If there's ever anything I can do for you-"
"We're happy to do it." Kyoya said. "Tamaki means quite a lot to us." The automatic door opened and Yuuichi stepped out, greeting them in his usual, professional manor.
Good morning, everyone. I'm sorry I'm late. I was a little behind schedule with my patients this morning. If you'll follow me, I'll show you where you need to go. Everything's all set and the only thing you'll need to do is give the samples. It's a simple blood test and cheek swab. you'll be able to go about your day and I'll contact everyone when the results are in."
"How is Tamaki?"Kyoya asked as they followed Yuuichi into the building, the sickening scent of heavy disinfectant hitting them along the way.
"He's tired. The treatment is starting to affect him more now. He'll have a small break from it soon."
"Is it okay to see him when we're done?" Haruhi asked.
"I'd encourage it. If you have the time, I think a visit from you would do him some good, Mr. Suoh." The group was led to the hospital lab waiting area.
" You'll be taken back individually it doesn't matter the order, I have everything ready once your back there. If you have questions or concerns, please don't hesitant to ask. I'll have a lunch break around one this afternoon if you'd like to ask then, you can come and find me. I'll more than likely be in my office, Kyoya can show you the way." They thanked him and sat down to wait.
"Who should go first?" Haruhi asked.
"Mr. Suoh is a busy man, I'm sure he would want to get it over with and get back to work." Kyoya said with a side glare to the man.
"That's true, I am kind of busy today. I pushed my meeting off until this afternoon to be here. I'd like to take some time with my son though, so yes, I'll go first." He agreed.
"I'll go after Mr. Suoh." Shima offered.
"Haruhi, given the last few visits, I think you should go last or next to last. That way you have time to decide if you can handle it. Tamaki won't be upset if you can't, he's told you that before."
"I know he has, but he's still my friend and I'd like to see him."
"Of course, but you also have to keep in mind that he's very ill. To have him being upset right now isn't a good idea. We have to consider what's best for him." It didn't take long for Yuzuru to be called back.
He followed the young woman to the room where she began to prepare the required items.
"You would be..Yuzuru Suoh, correct?" She asked skimming the pages in front of her.
"Yes." He replied shortly.
"So all we're going to do is a little blood test and then we'll get a cheek swab, it shouldn't be long after that when we get the results." Yuzuru nodded,removing his jacket and rolling up his sleeve. He turned his head as the blue elastic band was tied around his arm.
"Not a fan of needles?" She asked.
"Not particularly. My son is much braver than I am. He gets it from his mother."
"Well, you were brave enough to be here today." He felt the cold swab on his arm and braced himself.
"My love for my son greatly outweighs my fear of needles." He would have to tell Tamaki this more often, he decided.
"Little pinch." she warned as the needle was inserted. He drew in a deep breath.
I have no business being so weak in this moment while Tamaki has shown only strength this entire time. He deserves so much better than this. Yuzuru thought to himself.
It had taken only a few minutes for the tests but it felt like hours. He thanked the woman and pulled his jacket back on, returning to the waiting area.
"I want to thank you all again, Tamaki is very precious to me and-"
"Mr. Suoh, it's a good idea to tell him that, it's good to know you love him, but it's more important that you tell him this, especially since you've been so...busy." Kyoya pointed out.
"Yes, you're absolutely right, I'll go to him now."
"One more thing, it doesn't count as a visit or being supportive if you stand in the hall and act like nothing is happening." Yuzuru bowed his head and made his way to the elevator.
Once outside his son's room, he stopped, listening to the conversation from inside.
"You need to try." Yuuichi said. Yuzuru leaned back against the wall.
"I can't, nothing stays down, it's even difficult to take water. Sometimes it hurts to try. " Tamaki replied weakly.
"I'm sorry, but you have to keep up your strength, I'll have to add some more medicine, you can't keep going this way. You'll be able to have a break soon. Your friends and family need you to-"
"It's too much." Yuzuru felt his heart drop at his son's words. "I'm not getting any better. I feel worse than I did before we started this."
"Unfortunately, the saying it gets worse before it gets better is true in most situations. We're breaking down the Leukemia and that means it's going to be tough, just have some patience and try to rest. You can't give in."
" I won't, I made a promise. It doesn't matter how tired I am, I can't break that promise. The ones I made it with are more important to me than anything. I don't really have the right to complain, there's a lot of people out there that don't get the chance I was given, and even less that have friends that are willing to spend so much of their free time here. I'm actually very fortune. " Yuzuru felt tears forming in his eyes.
"Keep a positive outlook, things sometimes have a way of working out."
"I suppose so, I just hope I don't end up disappointing them."
"I doubt you could, get some rest now, I'll check in a little later." Yuzuru wiped away the tears just as Yuuichi appeared beside him. The eldest Ootori son gave a silent nod and briefly rested a comforting hand on the older man's shoulder before continuing with his work.
Yuzuru drew in a breath and entered the room. Tamaki was paler than he had been when last they were together.
"Hello, Father." The teen called in an attempt at his usual cheery tone. "Is everything all right?"
"Why wouldn't it be?"
"It's just that... The last time you came to see me, it was to tell me I was going to start my treatment and the time before that- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." The host said softly, noticing his father was now bowing his head.
"No, you're right, I haven't actually sat down with you just to see how you're feeling. I broke my promise, Tamaki. It's not about me, the one time you actually needed me, I couldn't bring myself to be here, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, I understand."
"No, it's not. I love you very much, Tamaki. I don't tell you that nearly enough. I wish I had your strength, truly I do. If I had, I would've been able to be a better father."
"You did the best you could. You're here now."
"Yes. How are you feeling?"
"Tired. I wasn't expecting anyone this morning and I was up late last night, I'm sorry if I seem a little-"
"Would you like me to leave so you can sleep?"
"No. Actually, I was hoping we could talk. There's a few things I need to tell you." Yuzuru sat down beside the bes.
"What is it,son?" Tamaki smiled faintly.
"I wish we could've talked like this more often, if there wasn't a chance I would die, I don't think we'd have any visits at all. I need you to know that as much as this might upset you to hear about, it's important that you hear it. Can I be honest with you?"
"Of course. What do you need?"
"I need you to know that I love you, and although I'm a little sad that it took something like this for us to have a little time to say how we really feel, I'm glad we did. I need you to understand that... If I die-"
"Tamaki-"
"Please, just listen. I didn't say I was going to, but it's important for you to hear this. If that happens, it's not you're fault. I don't want you to blame yourself, you're giving me all you can. Also, if it comes to that...I wouldn't be the heir to the family so I suppose it wouldn't matter if I asked you to-" Tamaki paused knowing his answer before even asking the question.
"What is it?" Yuzuru asked.
"Do you think that if it came down to it, if nothing could be done, if I was strong enough that you could arrange for me to see my mother one more time?" Yuzuru reached out to take his son's hand, careful to look directly into his eyes.
"If it comes to that, yes. I'll take you there myself, I promise." He said sincerely. "But remember your promise to me, you can't just give up."
"I won't."
"Good. Let's keep your request between us though, if your grandmother ever found out about it-"
"Grandmother doesn't really talk to me, she hates me."
"She doesn't hate you, Son. She's just- your grandmother is a tough woman and she likes to keep with tradition. She can't see what an incredible gift you are."
"It's okay, I know she hates me, you don't have to try to soften it." Before the older man could reply, the hosts had arrived. Yuzuru stood up.
"I'll let you visit with your friends, but I'll see you later." Tamaki nodded as his father leaned down pulling him into a gentle hug and kissing the teen's forehead.
"I mean it, Tamaki." He whispered before standing up, offering a polite nod to the hosts and leaving them to their visit. Tamaki's words still weighing on his mind.