Long Hours 

Chapter 2

By ShinobiWolf

The end of the day finally came, but it just couldn't come fast enough for Yuki. Kouichi was needed at home, so Yuki had gotten together Kouji's homework to take to him.

            Yuki waited until his mother was home, and she let her right in. She knocked lightly at Kouji's door before going in; he was asleep, facing the door. She carefully placed his schoolbooks on his desk and knelt by his bedside, studying his sleeping face. He was pale, but he looked so peaceful while he was asleep. Before she had known it, she had gently moved a piece of stray, black hair from his face.

            Yuki hurriedly pulled back her hand, hoping that she hadn't woken him. Kouji never moved, but a small smile found its place at the corner of his mouth. Yuki blushed, wondering what he could have been dreaming about… He shivered, and she pulled the edge of his blanket tighter around his shoulders. She stood and turned to leave, but a quiet whisper made her stop.

            "…Yuki?"

            She went back to Kouji's bedside and sat on the edge of the bed. And sure enough, Kouji was awake, watching her with tired eyes.

"Why didn't you tell us that you were sick?"

            Looking at her saddened eyes, he couldn't help but feel a bit of guilt. Even at his sincerest attempt, he had still made her worry. She looked to him, pleading. He played with the edge of his blanket. "…I get sick a lot… When I was little, I missed school all of the time, and it put me back a whole lot. All of my classmates thought that I was dumb, so I never wanted to miss school, and fall further behind. And it made me feel weak. I hate that feeling. I hate being sick so much…"

            Yuki could see the slightest tears at the corners of his eyes. She wasn't the only one with problems. She wanted to cry with him, but how could she tell him that technically, she wasn't a true person?

            He wiped away his tears, and silently cursed himself for crying, especially in front of a girl that he liked. But when he looked to her, he got a feeling. A feeling that something else was bothering her other than his being ill. He pulled up next to her, and she met his gaze with her own.

            He had the same caring eyes as Kouichi, yet why hadn't she told Kouji the same thing that she had told his brother? It's because you like him… She told herself. Kouichi was her best friend; it was easy to talk to him. She tried to open her mouth and tell Kouji, but she could never quite find the right words to speak. Her uneasiness was evident in the nervous way that she gripped her blue jeans. Yuki just about died right then and there, when he put his arm around her shoulders.

            "…I may be ill, but I can still help…" He told her. "…I want to help."

            "…It's… about four years ago…"

            Kouji's face softened even more. Even now, the incident in the Digital World four years ago was a touchy subject for her.

            "Neolucemon told me that I had amnesia…that he found me that way…" She turned away from him. "He lied." She wiped away a stray tear with the palm of her hand. "He created me. Out of empty darkness. I couldn't remember my family, because I never had one to begin with…"

            "But I still love you. I don't care if some evil nut made you or not…"

            One particular word caught Yuki's attention. Kouji knew what that word was, and so he blushed a deep crimson. He had said 'love'. It seemed as though a massive weight had been lifted from Yuki's shoulders, and her face had the sweetest look of happiness. Maybe that's why, just a second later, he kissed her softly on her lips.

            Kouji watched Yuki leave from his upstairs window. He waved a silent good bye as she did the same, and walked on her way home.

            Kouji lazily opened his eyes. He groaned, as he heard the phone ringing. It did so for about ten times, before he heard his mother get up and run to answer it. He stared at the glowing screen of his clock and pulled his blanket over his head. He had slept less than he thought.

            "Kouji?" Mrs. Minamoto called from his doorway.

            "What…"

            "Your brother is on the phone. He says that he really needs to speak to you, and he sounds upset…"

            Kouji sat up and took the phone.

            "Kouji? I'm sorry for calling you so late when you're so sick and all…"

            Kouji could hear it. The wavering catch in Kouichi's voice.

            "…I'm at the hospital…"

            "Are you okay?!"

            "Physically, yes… but… it's Yuki… She never came home, so we went out to look for her… her parents and I… then we got a call from the hospital, and… " Kouichi's voice cracked. "…Kouji… Yuki's been hit by a car…"