"Bastard." It had been hours and Akira was still angry. On the one hand of course he was grateful--Hikaru would have died if they hadn't been given a ride. But on the other, the way the man had acted... What could there be to be afraid of in a small town like Kozuata-mura? Granted the doctor was kind of creepy...

    "But he still didn't need to strand us here!" He'd refused to help the doctor move Hikaru, and then took off like a bat out of hell. Touya sighed, "The minshuku and the hospital are the only places with phones, and the lines are down until somebody decides to come fix them. The doctor's got the only car around here, and he needs it in case there are any accidents. I don't even want to think about how long it will be until we get out of here. I doubt anyone even knows we're missing."

    Akira paced up and down the tatami mats of the little room, his steps wearing them with each repetition. "Maybe we should have stayed at the hospital. The doctor said it was OK, and you still haven't woken up yet..." He sighed again, "That hospital. I wouldn't even call it a hospital, most doctor's offices are bigger." The doctor himself had made Touya very uncomfortable. He'd had an odd sheen to his skin, and his eyes weren't quite the right shape. Maybe he was only half-Japanese, or maybe something else all together. "What was his name? Watanabe? Tanaka? Something pretty common. The skin and the eyes..." There'd been something familiar yet repulsive about them, "...and what the truck driver said..."

    The driver had insisted on going to Kurozu-cho, though he'd already told Akira there was a hospital in Kozuata-mura, and even though Hikaru would never have made it there alive. Akira had been persuasive through his fatigue and fury, and gotten his way in the end.

    The driver himself had looked sick when he pulled up in front of the tiny building. "Some places, some things should be left in the past. Don't tell me you weren't warned."

    "The past? This place is like something out of a history book." He stopped his pacing. He was tired of standing, tired of thinking, tired of most everything when he sat down next to the bed. He leaned in and whispered, "Can you hear me at all?"

    There was no response, but Akira could feel the heat off of Hikaru's skin and hear his quiet, regular breaths. "You're really infuriating you know. Kissing me like that--I don't understand you at all. I don't even know if I've ever seen the real you. Why did you do that to me? I...There's always been something pushing you towards me, but I've always tried to keep it away. Keep you away. The more I try to focus on something else, the more I end up thinking of you. And I've been ignoring you lately, being colder to you even though you've done nothing wrong. I don't want you to think I hate you, I never have. I'm sorry things had to be this way, and I'm sorry I don't know why I'm in love with you. I can't help it, and I won't try to change it anymore. But still, why did you do it? I know what it meant now, Hikaru, when you looked at me that way--you could see what I was trying to hide from you. But were you trying to make me feel better--to die and not make me worry about it anymore? Or did you really mean it?"

    Akira laid down his on his side by the futon, bringing his face close to the sleeping boy. "Because I do--I love you." He was crying again, a few errant tears wetting the pillow by Hikaru's head.

    "I heard you the first time...Something's wet," a weak voice in Touya's ear.

    "Shindo?!"

    "Back to that again Touya? That sounds like you."

    "You were listening. I--I think I got one on your face, sorry." Akira moved to wipe away the drop with his thumb, when a hand pushed him down from behind.

    "My arm hurts," Hikaru made a face as he wrapped his arms around Touya.

    "There was an IV in that one," Akira managed to get out as he tried not to panic. He was more or less on top of Hikaru.

    "Mm. What time is it?"

    "I'm not sure. Really late or really early, depending on perspective."

    "Then you should go to sleep," Hikaru squeezed tighter and Akira gasped softly. "You smell bad."

    "I guess it was a lot of work hauling your heavy ass around." Touya tried to sound menacing, but Hikaru was nearly asleep again.

    "You still feel nice."

    Akira thought Hikaru's lips might have mouthed 'I love you,' before he was out completely. Then, he himself slept for what felt like the first time in years.

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I had a chapter with the ride to Kozuata-mura written, but it was really awful so I went with some spoken exposition instead. I had more about the hospital too, but they'll be going back later so I can get what I want to do to make a bit more sense. Oh yeah--if you can email me with the name of the stories and name of the authors that I got the town names from, I might send you a little something that isn't up on the website yet! Sorry to everyone who wants longer chapters--if I make them any larger I'll never get any done. -_-;; My website has a domain now: http://www.hikagoyaoi.org/ You might update any bookmarks because I plan to change hosts soon!