Hmm, first of all I'd like to thank the readers! Sankyuu for your reviews, danya! Well, and for those who also read 'Down the Road', I MIGHT put an epilogue, just one more chapter before I finally consider that as done. Hmm, and for this fic, I'm not so sure either. It'll go on for quite some time.. and also I'd like to thank those who reviewed 'The Reason', thanks for your support! Well it's my first try at yaoi fics, and also one-shot fics too, so I may not be too good. And thanks to those who reviewed 'Fireworks'.

Hmm.. I don't know whether I can finish this fic in the first place, because I don't have the idea in my head. Besides that, schools here in Malaysia are going to start on Monday, and I doubt I can update when I start school, because this year(well, basically next year, but STILL!) is my exam year, year 9, which is Form 3 here, and there's a rather major exam for me. :( Anyway, I shall stop torturing you by being Shinji and I shall let you guys read my next chapter of 1000 Words. DA-NYA! Note : Tezuka will be as OOC as usual. gomen gomen!

Hmm.. eh and to Umi who reviewed 'Fireworks' > My country's not having fireworks too. Didn't check the paper ; then again.. haha

JadOo > hmm, sorry about no tezu. Hmm.. I should have stated this, but then again, Tezuka was in Germany during that time of the year. But I should have at least wrote that someone called him! LOL sorry sorry.

Tezuka had been crying. True, Tezuka never cried, even as a child. But this time, his tears just flowed out like a waterfall. Yuko had practically sacrificed her life for him, and at this moment, she's in a coma. Tezuka felt very guilty. Miyuki, Mika and her husband had let Tezuka have a moment alone with Yuko, seeing how sorrowful Tezuka felt.

As his tears trickled down his cheek and fell on Yuko's cheek, he felt her hand move slightly. He was astonished, and her hand was moving. Slowly, her eyes opened. Am I seeing things? Tezuka thought.

"Yuko, Yuko, you're awake?" Tezuka whispered.

"Ah. Where am I?" Yuko questioned, coughing as she spoke.

"You're at the hospital. I'll explain everything later, I'll go and get the doctor," Tezuka said, getting up from the chair beside her bed and walked out of the door.

Why are Tezuka's eyes so red? Was it just me, but was he crying? Yuko thought. Nah, it couldn't be. Tezuka was not the type of person who would cry over someone.

Tezuka noticed that he had been crying. He never cried, because crying showed all his weaknesses. Everyone wanted to see Tezuka's weaknesses, but he never showed them. But at this fragile moment, he just cried. He sobbed like a child who could never see daylight anymore. He felt as if there was no tomorrow.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, he went and looked for the doctor.

"Doctor! Yuko is conscious now," Tezuka said to the doctor. He nodded his head, and asked Tezuka to wait in her room.

When Tezuka went back to Yuko's room, she smiled softly at him. He sat by her bedside and tousled her shoulder-length honey hair (A/N : Sorry if my description about Yuko has changed, I can't remember what I wrote her as. But for now, let's say she LOOKS like Fuji, since I wrote in the beginning that Tezuka liked Fuji. She will have.. err Fuji's brown hair and his blue eyes. Simple as that.).

"I'll be okay, Mitsu-chan. Don't worry about me," Yuko whispered in his ear. She didn't have enough breath to speak very loudly. After all, she was asthmatic. He blushed when she said his cute nickname, and soon retorted.

"Don't call me that."

"Alright alright, Kuni-chan!"

"Don't call me anything with a –chan! I'm not going to respond."

"Fine, Kunimitsu. Be that way," Yuko continued, turning away from Tezuka.

The doctor came and did a standard check-up on Yuko.

"Yuko is doing fine, just that.." the doctor said.

"That?"

"Actually, if you didn't know, the patient has been taking large amounts of steroids, namely corticosteroids, to try suppress her asthma. But somehow, she took too much of it, and that's mainly the reason why she lost consciousness."

"What?" Tezuka queried.

"Yes, the patient has been taking an over dosage of steroids, even though it can suppress her sickness. Luckily she only lost consciousness; some people who took over dosage of drugs have even died, and suffered major side effects. Doctors only give steroids if necessary, though."

"So, what can she do right now?" Tezuka asked, concerned.

"All she can do is, prevent taking those steroids, use the oral inhaler whenever necessary, and try to breathe normally. She must also avoid these things," the doctor said, handing a list of things that Yuko had to avoid to Tezuka.

"Thanks a lot, sensei. When can she be discharged from the hospital?"

"Right now, actually. Just get her to come for check-ups every week," the doctor said, giving Tezuka a chance to talk to Yuko.

"Yuko, how could you take so much drugs! It's not good for your health.."

"I just needed to make sure I could perform that day, Tezuka. I have been coughing so much, I couldn't even breathe!"

"You should have consulted the doctor!"

"Then he would have forced me to cancel the show!"

"Maaa, maa, stop fighting, futari domo.(translation : you two)" said a soft voice from the door. Fuji had come with Miyuki to visit Yuko. On his arms was a bouquet of flowers.

"Flowers for me! Thanks a lot, Fuji-kun," Yuko said, beaming at her visitors.

"We heard about Yuko's condition when the doctor was on the way out, nii-chan. Now, Yuko, why in the world would you take so much steroids? They're not good for health, and you could have died because of over dosage of drugs!" Miyuki said, sounding like a mother who was scolding her child who was playing in the middle of the road.

"Hoo-boy. Here we go again. We have many Shinjis here," Yuko muttered under her breath.

On that Wednesday morning(A/N : Not so sure about the time, bleah. Just randomly putting a date), Yuko woke up with a strong feeling that she was going to enjoy her day, leaving the depressing hospital. She got up from the bed and looked out the window, inhaling the fresh, crisp morning air. It was only 6 AM, but Yuko felt bursting with energy. Tezuka would be coming anytime soon.

Six in the morning. Boy, would Yuko be surprised! Tezuka was already at the lobby of the hospital. He bought a bouquet of roses for the girl, and also wrote a card for her.

flashback, approximately a few hours ago

"Yawn. Nii-chan! What the hell are you doing up so early?" Miyuki queried. She was rubbing her eyes. Her brother was making quite an amount of noise in his room, which was next to Miyuki's.

"Just preparing for later."

"What's going on later? Oh. OH! I see. Wakata, wakata.(Translation : I understand, understood, bla)" Miyuki grinned. She took a sneak peek at the piece of paper that Tezuka was decorating in the middle of the morning. She thwacked his back, and he grunted in response.

end flashback

At that very moment, Tezuka Kunimitsu stood in front of his fiancée's room. His heart was racing, and so was his mind. He was never good in his communicating skills, he was quite a loner. He was worse in romance, he didn't even bother thinking about it. His constant stoic, serious personality never encountered a challenge like this before, and he was going to tackle it.

"You can do it, nii-chan! Just those mushy things you see in movies, quote them!" Miyuki's voice chimed in his mind. His sister had been trying to help Tezuka, but she was still no use.

"But the most important thing, it must be sincere, and it must come from the heart, nii-chan. What you really want her to know," her voice echoed.

This is the time. I can do this!

Yuko heard the door creak, and she turned behind from the window. She was sitting by the window.

"You're early, Kunimitsu."

"So are you. Couldn't sleep?"

"Bingo. You?"

"Same as you," Tezuka took a chair and sat beside Yuko.

The both of them kept quiet for the next few minutes. Tezuka was not really good at starting conversations, and Yuko wanted to enjoy the peace and quiet. Finally, Tezuka knew he had to say something.

"We were looking out the window like this when we were younger, right?" Tezuka started. She smiled at him and nodded her head. Her soft brown hair, her comforting smile, her aquamarine orbs, they were just enticing.

"Yuko, here's a little gift for you."

"Ara! (Oh?) A gift for me? Thank you, Kunimitsu," Yuko got up and kissed the boy's cheek. His face turned to a shade of red for a moment, but then he stopped blushing, handing her a small box. When Yuko opened the box, she was surprised. Inside the box was a beautiful diamond ring, engraved 'Kunimitsu & Yuko' on the inside of the ring. 1

"But Kunimitsu, aren't we already engaged?"

"Yes, but you never had a ring."

"Thank you so much, Kunimitsu!" He caressed the girl's soft face, and soon he noticed his lips were locked with his fiancée's. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the kiss as much as he could. It was his first kiss, and it was HER first kiss as well. He always wanted to make his first kiss a special one, and it WAS special.

Soon, they stopped to inhale some air. They were both exhilarated; it was a good kiss. It was just a few days ago when Yuko was shopping with her to-be-sister-in-law, Miyuki. They walked past a jewelry shop, and Yuko was amazed at how beautiful the diamond ring was. Yuko wish she had it, but winced when she saw the price. 100000 yen. She definitely couldn't splurge on such things which weren't necessary.

Say, don't tell me Miyuki told Kunimitsu what I wanted..?

"Eh, Kunimitsu, this is really expensive though.."

"The price doesn't matter, just as long as you like it." He gave her a soft smile.(YATTA! He did smile.)

"Thank you."

"Welcome."

"Could you put it on my finger?" Yuko asked, sticking out her finger. He slid that diamond ring carefully through her fourth finger, and she beamed at him.

"That means I must get a ring for you too!"

"No, it's a pair. I have one for myself," Tezuka said, showing his left hand to her. He also gave her a card he made himself. In joy, she hugged the usually emotionless boy. She sat on his lap, and chuckled slightly.

"Is there anything wrong?" Tezuka queried.

"No, not at all. Just wondering about things a few months ago.. we were wondering, or rather I was wondering how I was going to spend the rest of my life with a person I don't know," Yuko said, smiling. "But now I know I can."

Their moment together was interrupted by the arrival of a visitor. When Tezuka saw the visitor, he frowned. Yuko didn't know how to act, though, because their visitor was Atobe Keigo.

Cliffhangers, cliffhangers. Hopefully I can put up the next chapter soon enough, before everyone kills me for only updating after a year XD anyway, review if you want. Thankss