"I think it's this one," TK said as they came up to a room. They looked in the window and saw Tai sitting on a chair holding Koushirou's unbroken hand in his. Cody looked in and saw the scene and was again transported in time back a few years. There he was, sitting in a similar position, holding the hand of. "Iori, you've sprung a leak again. Please, tell me what's wrong," TK begged. Iori came back to the present and looked at TK with wet eyes. "I can't, TK, it hurts so much." "It might help you, Iori, please tell me. You can tell me anything." Iori looked at TK and quite a few things shot around in his mind that he'd like to tell the boy. "Okay." "It was about seven years ago now. I was just getting home from school and I was walking in the front door of the apartment when everything started. I saw my mother on the phone talking very quickly to the person on the other end. The was looking everywhere at once like she was distracted. She kept putting her hand through her hair in exasperation. I stood there watching her with the door still open behind me. I was getting scared because I'd never seen my mother in anything but complete control. The next thing I knew she was slamming the phone down and grabbing her coat off the back of a chair and hurrying towards me." "Before I knew it I was being led down the hallway at top speed, trying not to trip over her coat that was trailing behind her like a tail. We got in the car and by that time I was scared. My mother was usually a careful and prudent driver but this time she was flying down the highways. I buried my face in the coat and tried to drown out everything. I heard her speaking, but I don't know if it was to me or to anyone. She pulled in the front of a big white building, this hospital, and jumped out the door, pulling me with her. I tried telling her that she'd left her door open but she waved it off and hurried us inside." "By that time I had decided that something was definitely not right. As far as I knew only two things happened in a hospital, someone is born or someone dies. I just didn't know which one. I had a suspicion, but wasn't sure. We raced to the nurses' station and my mother was rapidly talking to the nurses on duty. When I heard her mention my father's name I knew it wasn't good. One of the nurses jumped up out of her chair and started leading us down the hallways. She smelled like strawberries, TK, fresh spring strawberries. I'll never forget that smell." Iori stopped for a minute while he blinked back a few tears. "Iori, you don't have to do this, if it hurts this much--" "I've never told anyone this before, TK, and I think it is for the best that I do. I've kept it inside so long now that it beginning to burn." "Alright, whenever you feel like you can go on." TK told him. Iori nodded slightly and took a deep breath. "We raced down the halls and rounded a corner and I saw four officers standing outside a room. As we approached I recognized two of them. They were partners that had often been to our apartment to visit with my father. As we came up on them the two of my father's partners tried to smile at me but couldn't do it. They instead stepped away from in front of the door. My mother asked one of them, Officer Matsuke, if he would take me to go get a soda. He said that he would and he took my hand and we went down the hall. I looked back before rounding a corner and saw my mother walk into the room." "Mr. Matsuke tried to make conversation while we were drinking our sodas, but neither of us were capable of doing it, so we drank in silence. When we came back a little later, maybe ten minutes, my mother was standing back outside with the other officers and a doctor talking. They went silent when we got there and my mother broke the short silence. She told me that my father was hurt really bad and asked me if I had any questions. I asked her what I thought was a perfectly obvious question, 'is he going to die?'" Again Iori stopped and took a few deep breaths before starting up again. "She didn't answer me and then the doctor spoke up. He said that they didn't know. I saw instantly that he didn't want to tell me the truth. It was as clear as glass. He just didn't know how to tell a little boy that his father was going to die." Iori began to have wracking sobs. TK wasn't sure what to say, so he said nothing at all and put an arm around Iori and let him cry himself out against TK's chest. Finally Iori dried up and was able to continue, although TK wasn't sure if he wanted him to. It was cutting him to pieces to see Iori like this. "My mother asked me if I'd like to see him and without hesitation I told her yes. She smiled the smallest smile possible and said that knew my father would like that. She told me that he was bandaged up like a mummy, but not to be afraid. After assuring her that I wouldn't be, she took my hand and led me in. The door closed behind us and the only sound I heard aside from our footsteps was the sounds of the machinery keeping him alive. My mother set me in a chair next to his bed and I took his hand." Iori stopped right there and looked off into space, as if reliving the moment all these years later. "Iori, please. You don't have to finish this if it hurts you this much," TK told him. "I know, but I've come this far and I need to do this. Can I go on, TK?" "Whenever you're ready, Iori." "She wasn't kidding, he did look like a mummy. He was bandaged all over and there were tubes and wires and everything everywhere. I took his hand in mine and started talking to him. I talked about everything I could think of, TK. I told him about school, about how much I loved him, everything. Finally I talked myself hoarse. My mother took my hand and led me out of the room. She led me over to a chair a little way down the hall and sat me down. I asked her if she thought father heard me. She smiled and wiped away a tear and told me that she knew he did. She left me there and went back to talk to the doctors. I apparently dozed off in the chair because the next thing I remember was my grandfather kneeling in front of me picking me up. He took me home, TK, leaving my mother to be with my father until the end." TK almost felt like crying himself and simply wrapped his arms tightly around Iori, trying to mend the breaks in Iori's heart. Iori hugged him back and they stayed that way for quite a little while. Iori finally spoke again. "I asked my mother the whole story a few years later and she told me that a criminal had nearly emptied his gun on my father trying to get away. She also told me that the doctors did everything they could, which wasn't that much considering how much damage had been done. They considered it a miracle that he was able to hang on as long as he did, and my mother believed them. The last thing she told me was that she felt him slip away when I was done talking and I think she was right. I felt a little something too. The machines were still humming, but his body was empty. "I've lived my life trying to be what I believe that my father would like me to be. I still miss him so much sometimes, TK." "Iori, I'm positive that your father would be proud of you now." "You think so, TK?" "I know so, Iori. He's looking down on you right now and he is proud. You are perfect," TK said, speaking from the heart. Iori looked up at him and TK kissed him right on the forehead and immediately turned thirteen shades of red and pink. "I didn't mean to do that, Iori, honest," he said, flustered. Iori was quite shocked, but not disgusted in the least. "That's okay, TK." The two of them stayed arm in arm until Sora arrived a few minutes later. Back inside the room, Tai was beside himself with grief and worry. This was completely his fault and no one could tell him otherwise. If he'd not have gotten sick this wouldn't have happened. "Oh, Koushirou, please be alright. I know this sounds silly but I don't know if I can go on without you anymore. Seeing you like this is making me hurt as well." He took his other hand and placed it over Koushirou's and laid his head against them. "You have to be alright, Koushirou, you just have to." Tai continued to talk to Koushirou, telling him everything he'd kept inside until this point. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Kou-chan," was one of the many things he told him. Outside, the two boys were still standing together looking in the window of the room, arm in arm when a voice called to them. "TK, Iori! How is he?" They turned and saw Sora sprinting toward them. "They moved him in here a little while ago, Sora. They think he'll be fine. Just a few broken bones and bruises, mostly. He got pretty lucky," TK said. Sora saw that the two of them had red eyes like they'd been crying recently. "And how are the two of you doing," she asked them, figuring they were crying over Koushirou, not knowing the real reason they were red eyed. "I've never been better," Iori told her and his sentiments were echoed by TK. Sora was puzzled but didn't pursue it further. She simply wrote it off to how silly boys could be. The three of them held vigil outside of the room for hours, leaving Tai alone except to bring him a glass of water. "Tai sure is taking this hard, isn't he?" Sora asked the two of them. "Well of course he is, Sora, why wouldn't he be? He cares a lot about Koushirou." TK asked before he thought about his words. He mentally smacked himself and hoped that Sora missed the implications of his words. She didn't, though. "Does that mean what I think it does?" she asked after pondering a moment. "Um, well.I guess it depends on what you think it means, Sora," TK said. "I always wondered about Koushirou, but I would never have guessed Tai. That explains why he never asked me out though. They seem to fit together, like the odd couple," she said as she watched the two of them. "So you're not grossed out or anything like that?" TK asked her. "Nope. Why would I be? As long as they are happy together, I could care less." "Well, that's good." TK considered telling her about himself and Iori, but didn't when he saw the deer-in-headlights look in Iori's eyes. He obviously wasn't ready for that yet. Back in the room Koushirou felt like he'd been hit with a bag full of rocks repeatedly. His mind was slowly clearing and he became aware of more aches with every passing minute. As he ascended to consciousness, he could have sworn he heard Taichi talking to him. More words reached his ear. It definitely was Taichi. What was he doing here? And more importantly, where was here? Koushirou had only a few more steps before he completely woke up, but he was sure that Taichi was now singing to him in the classic slightly off- tune voice that only Tai could have. "It's the first long kiss on the second date, momma's all worried when you come home late," Tai sang. Koushirou zoned out for a second was but was drawn back. "When you get home, he'll start to cry, when he says sorry, say so am I, and look into those eyes so deep in love, drink it up, because that's the good stuff." "Tai?" Is that you?" Koushirou asked as he was opening his eyes. He looked at Taichi as he nearly fell out of his chair. "You're awake!! Tai said breathlessly. "Yeah, but I am so sore Taichi," he said as Tai was hugging him. "Easy does it, don't break me, please." "Anything you want, Koushirou, anything." Tai was so happy that it looked like his face would split if he smiled any further. "I'm just glad to have you back." Their reunion was cut short by the sound of the door opening and three other excited voices entered the room.



There. Nearly a month later, I get it done. Sorry about the delay, but there is a very addictive game called Neverwinter Nights out now and I've been playing the hell out of it. Between that and me still having no ISP and FF.N being schitzoid I've not written a whole lot lately (well, not finished anything worthy, actually.)