"Hope, Courage, Friendship and a Fat Squirrel" by Luke's Dragon

Disclaimer

Not mine, comprendez vous?

Part III "Our Final Hope"

Davis had never ran so fast, I ground flew beneath his feet as he covered the remaining distance between his and the spot Takeru had been standing at in a time an Olympic sprinter would have been proud of. He spotted his friend lying prone on the floor face down in the mud created by the storm. Feeling a sense of panic and abandoning any notion of personal saftey Davis drug his friend away from what remained of the tree. He struggled to a relatively safe distance, leaving the trunk, which had been ignited by the thunderbolt to crackle with flames, fighting vainly to stay ablaze against the fury of the rain that was still crashing down.

Davis' knowledge of first-aid was usually limited to muscle pulls and soccer injuries but he knew enough to check that is friend was breathing, which seemed a fairly major requirement. He checked Takeru's neck for a pulse, and although he knew he was supposed to be acting as a medic he couldn't help but thinking how peaceful and how young his friend looked, despite the fact that it was actually Davis who was a few months younger. Soaked to the skin Davis knelt over Takeru to try and keep the worst of the rain off. It seemed a pointless act really, although the rain had only been falling for a matter off moments it had done its work already. It took another few agonizing minutes of waiting for TK to come around, he had half expected to wake up surrounded by angels, not as was the case the concerned face of Davis with rain dripping from his hair.

"Hey, you're awake, how are you feeling?" It was, TK thought the first time in a long while that he had heard concern in Davis' voice about anything other than soccer. Then, the events of the past few days slammed back into his memory like a sledgehammer blow and he wished that he hadn't come around, and if he did have to, why was it Davis who was leaning over him.

"I'd feel better if you'd get off of me" He hadn't meant to sound so harsh but was in no mood to be tactful to the source of all his problems.

"I save your life, and that's all the thanks I get? The gallant hero deserves a kiss at least"

"What? I'm not kissing you"

"Sorry, but I'm a hero, and I rescued you, so. . ." With that Davis forced his lips onto TK's, although forced wasn't really the right term, he had no intention of forcing TK to do anything he didn't want to do. None the less he was quite sure, in his confident goggle head kind of way that this was what both of them wanted. He was right too, ever since the last time they had kissed, which seemed to TK to be almost a lifetime ago, but was in reality less than twenty four hours since the event which seemed to have turned his life upside down. TK's mind was racing faster than he could ever recall, so may mixed feelings which all seemed to make no sense at all were flashing through his mind, but foremost was the feeling that as much as he was enjoying this it was wrong… No it's not a voice in his head seemed to be telling him, it feels so good to have someone there for you, who wants you so much.

"Shut up!" he shouted and pushed a slightly confused Davis off of him, and stood up rather uncertainly.

"I didn't say anything, reason being, my tongue was in your mouth"

"I was talking to the voice in my head" That was smart! TK made a conscious effort not to tell his inner voice to be quiet again, he was already sure he was going mad.

"Forget the voices in your head, did you like that?"

"…What do you think, of course I did it's just strange"

"You're not going to run away again, are you?"
"No, no more running, but lets talk somewhere else, somewhere dry" He turned and started walking but Davis didn't follow him, he was just stood laughing at the stormy sky. And here was me thinking I'm going mad. The rain was still crashing down cascading from Davis, who was doing a half-decent impression of a waterfall.

"What the hell is so funny"

"Everything really, but mainly me and you finally getting together like this"

"…"

"Now what, we are together aren't we?"

"I'm sorry, I…I just can't do it" TK turned and left, he didn't even get ten meters before he felt Davis grab onto his arm and pull him back round so the two were facing each other again.

"I told you, you're not running away I've walked half the city looking for you and although I'd do it again without a second thought I'd rather sort this right here"

"You'd never understand, just let me go" Tears were streaming from his eyes now but he didn't care. If he wanted to cry then he would, tears for the sheer unfairness of the whole world, how he'd found the one person he thought he could love, and now he just couldn't take the chance. Davis on the other hand was a gambler, and one who was prepared to take a risk to make a big gain.

"Fine, just walk away then, if you're so scared just run away like a coward" TK turned his back, but didn't move, he just let the tears fall from his eyes that were lost in falling rain. He dropped his head, overcome by the feeling of sadness sweeping over him.

"What are you so afraid of?" A whisper in his ear, he could feel Davis standing over him, wrapping his arms around him as if to try and shield him from the unkind world.

"It doesn't matter if we even try, someday it'll all fall apart and I'll be on my own again"

"TK I'd never…"
"Don't make promises you can't keep, someday it'll end I know it will, and I couldn't face it. I couldn't face loosing you"

"So you'd rather loose me now? Have all this pain you're feeling and none of the good times we'd have, just because you're afraid of getting hurt?"

"I'm sorry…I'm weak I know it"

"You're not weak TK, screwed up in the head perhaps, but I don't care. I'll be there for you, whatever happens, if you want me as a lover then great, but if you just want me to be your friend, I'll do that too"

"Why, why do you waste your time on me it's just hopeless"

"No, it's hard and a bit scary, but love tends to be like that, but it's never hopeless, not if we have each other"

"Davis…hold me tight, just let me feel like it's going to work"

"No problem there" Davis put his arms around TK again who laid his head down upon his friends' shoulder, despite the rain and wind he felt warm and safe for the first time he could remember. Perhaps things wouldn't last forever but Davis was right, unless he tried he'd never know what might happen, and at the moment he wouldn't trade this feeling for the whole world. True nothing lasted forever, but maybe this could last long enough. Long enough for what he wasn't certain but he felt a warm glow of hope well up inside him, unlike he had felt for a very long time.

"Let's go home TK, as much fun as standing in the rain is I need a warm shower"

"Woo Hoo!"

"Was that 'Woo Hoo!' were getting out of the rain, or 'Woo Hoo!' Davis is getting in the shower and I can join in too?"

"Er…well…it was actually 'Woo Hoo!' I've had a good idea"

"The shower idea sounded good to me"
"This is better…hold on it wouldn't work we'd need some tissues"

"My house has got tissues, and I don't think anyone will be in for hours"

As they walked onwards the rain started to let off, and a rainbow began to form in the sky above them, and for the first time TK felt a genuine sense of hope. Hope that things were going to turn out for the best that he had found someone who would be there for him and help him work through all the stuff that seemed to have piled up in his head.

Told you it would work out. Were inner voices supposed to sound gloating?