Part III: Recovery

And the need to touch it gets hard to explain some days

The next morning, Horohoro woke up to the sound of a steady-beeping heart monitor and the smell of sterilization. His stomach hurt, his hands hurt, his throat hurt, but somehow… even thought last night had been hell his heart didn't hurt. Sitting asleep in the chair next to him was a short Chinese boy with a long face, a troubled expression, and very messy hair. His clothes were still stained with blood, though he didn't seem too angry about the mutilated designer labels. In his hand, was the drummer's bandaged hand, which the singer seemed to hold with a death-grip.

Only faintly could Horohoro remember what happened last night, but he remembered everything Ren had said, which made him smile. Maybe he was going to change for real this time, maybe it was all going to be all right, but maybe it would all change when Tao Ren woke up.

Faust came in a moment later and smiled over at the drummer. Relief was in the man's sunken eyes, but for what reason, Horohoro didn't know. Later, Yoh came in smiling and handed the blue-haired guy a packet of Pocky, and put a tape in the TV in the small hospital room, pressing the play button, and letting the copy of the newsreel speak for itself…

Horohoro stared at it, at Ren, as he told the world… He loves me… He loves me, he loves me, he loves me…

"You're lucky Horo," the guitarist sighed, sitting in another chair. "Every time you two get in a fight you can just start barfing blood again. And no more secrets from Faust, he feels hurt you went to the hospital and not him." At that, Faust just tipped his hat.

The drummer looked over at Ren… Ren, the one who had jerked his heart for the last five years, the one who had driven him half insane with his games and antics by making him sweat, and the one who had broken his heart every other night with different fans… and he couldn't help but fall in love with him all over again.

Ren woke up with a spasm and looked around, his gold eyes taking everything in until they met Horohoro's. Then, everything just disappeared besides them. It was just as well too, for Faust and Yoh left as soon as he woke up, closing and waiting outside the door so that they wouldn't be disturbed.

Minutes passed between them of just silence, both just looking in each other's eyes, saying a million things without words, though both knew that words were needed to heal the gash in their relationship, so Horohoro waited for Ren to think out what he was going to say.

"Horo…" Ren began, for once his voice sounding unsure. But, he didn't give up on speaking. "I… We… You have always been the best thing in my life. We were together before the band, and we promised that we would be together after the band. Somewhere in between, I forgot that. And I want you to forgive me, if you can, for every thing I have done to you so that we can start over… So we can start better… because you are the only thing I care about in my life, though it took me a while to figure that out. Without you, there is no soul, it's just over."

Maybe it was corny, and maybe it was lyrical, but whatever it was, it was just was Horohoro needed to hear. "I forgive you Ren… But if you do that again, I won't come back."

Before either could register another thought, Ren had swept Horohoro up into his arms and was kissing him as softly and lovingly as he could. It wasn't a kiss that was passionate, or sexual, or bitter… It was just a kiss, a show of indefinable love and affection, and it was the first one either had had in a long time.

The next day, Horohoro was freed from the hospital and Oversoul was once again whisked away to their mansion on the hill, Ren and the drummer barely able to keep their lips off each other in the back of the limo, and the two were soon in Horo's room, snogging as gently as they could as if it were going out of style.

Sex was great and all, but really, all that Ren had ever really wanted was in his arms. Just Horohoro. Just that one guy who was always beside him, loving him no matter what. And now, Ren was going to live up to that devotion with everything he did. Love was all they needed, and that was the only thing that mattered.

THE END