((A.N.------ hihi everyone... i hope you like the story so far I've learned my lesson with "Listen to the Rain".. that is... don't upload stories until they're done!! So this story was complete before you got to see Chapter One! I had sugar so I'm alil' crazy right now . anyways... i have another much longer fanfic coming as soon as i find a working floppy disk... so yeah... enjoy))
Hatori sat down on the foot of Akito's bed and silently shooed Momiji away. The ever-smiling rabbit left, shutting the door behind him, leaving Akito and Hatori alone. Akito craned his neck to look at his cousin.
"Ha'ri-chan.... Lie down beside me?" It wasn't an order, it was a request. Hatori stretched out alongside his cousin, propping his head up on his elbow. Akito shook his head and motioned for Hatori to get under the covers with him. The dragon obliged, tucking the thick blankets around them securely as Akito pressed himself tightly against Hatori. His fever was still far too high for Hatori's liking.
"Ha'ri-chan?"
"Yes?"
"Hold me?"
Hatori wrapped his arms around his cousin and pulled him close, holding him tightly as the snow swirled wildly outside the window.
Momiji knocked lightly on Akito's door and waited, the tray of food balanced on one arm. There was no response.
"Ha'ri-san?" he listened for the dragon's response but got none. The sensible, responsible dragon would never leave Akito alone when he was this sick, and he surely wouldn't ignore Momiji. Puzzled, the rabbit pushed open the door and stepped inside.
He nearly dropped the tray.
Hatori and Akito were both sound asleep, in each other's arms nonetheless. Momiji crept over to the bed quietly and set the tray on the table, observing his two cousins silently. The way they looked at each other when they thought he wasn't looking, the oh-so-casual brush of an arm here, a leg there, Momiji had come to suspect that they were lovers. The way they held each other now, when they thought no one would see, proved Momiji wrong.
Not only were they lovers, they were in love.
"Ha'ri-chan?" Akito's weak, shaking voice woke Hatori in the middle of the night. He sat up and looked down at his lover, the heat radiating from his body instilling a cold fear in Hatori. Akito's breathing was shallow and ragged, and it rattled in his chest. A harsh, hacking cough tore itself from Akito's throat.
"I'm here Akito-chan." Hatori kissed his cousin's hot, sweaty forehead reassuringly and stood, slipping his bathrobe on and tying it. Then he gathered Akito's fragile form up in his arms and draped his coat over his lover's shoulders. Akito's face was flushed and his eyes glazed. Hatori picked up the phone and dialed Shigure's number with shaking fingers.
"Uughnnnnnn?" The half-asleep dog inquired as he answered his phone.
"Shigure, get your car and get over here, we need to get Akito to the hospital." Hatori tried not to yell at his best friend.
"huh? Yeah, be right there Ha'ri."
Hatori hung up the phone and carried his cousin to the door to wait, trying not to let his fear for his life show through. Akito mumbled incoherently, his fever casing him to become delirious.
The five minutes it took Shigure to arrive seemed like years to Hatori as he waited helplessly, his lover dying in his arms. Hatori climbed into the back seat of Shigure's car, cradling Akito on his lap as Shigure sped towards the hospital, occasionally glancing back at his cousins. He pulled the car up to the Emergency entrance and let Hatori and Akito out. Hatori rushed into the hospital and to the front desk.
After a brief argument with the receptionist, Hatori took a seat in the waiting room, holding Akito close. The hospital was quiet at this time of night. A small child with a broken arm and her mother sat talking quietly across from him and a man with a harsh cough sat five seats down from Hatori. Akito groaned and shifted in Hatori's arms, his heart pounding against the dragon's ribcage. Shigure walked in a few moments later and went over to Hatori.
"Would you like me to stay with you Ha'ri?" He asked, looking down at his cousins. Hatori nodded gratefully and Shigure sat down.
"I woke Yuki-kun and told him what was going on, the three of them will be fine until morning." He said. Hatori nodded, only partially hearing the words, meaningless sounds that meant nothing to him. His entire being was focused upon the unstable feel of Akito's heart pounding against his own, fragile comfort that could extinguish at any moment. Shigure sighed as he watched his cousins carefully, keeping an ear out for the nurse, knowing that neither Hatori nor Akito would hear if they were called.
After what seemed like forever, they were called back. Hatori and the nurse talked briefly, the nurse asking questions, Hatori answering them, his every muscle tense with worry. The nurses finally took Akito into a room to take care of him, denying Hatori and Shigure entrance for the time being. Shigure sat in a chair outside the door and Hatori paced restlessly back and forth, pale and tense.
"Ha'ri?" Shigure's voice brought Hatori to a standstill and he looked at his best friend.
"What?" He asked, slightly irritated that Shigure would disrupt his worrying. Shigure sighed and watched Hatori, his gray eyes searching his cousin's face.
"Are you in love with Akito?" He asked.
"Is it that obvious?" Hatori inquired, examining his cousin. Shigure nodded, his eyes never leaving Hatori's face. Hatori sighed.
"yes. I am." He replied. When Shigure said nothing, Hatori resumed pacing as his lover struggled between life and death.
The clock ticked away the hours.
Hatori paced.