Waking the Nightmare to Live the Dream

by Divey

COMPLETE TyKa Vday Fic! Set in the future and centred on Tyson and Kai, who attend University. Kai, with typical stubborn pride, is working himself hard not quite to death, but close, but is missing out on all life might have to offer...

3. The End

A/N: This will be the last chapter. I will make it so – even if it makes me really, really tired! Yes!

Oh, also? If things seem a little far-fetched ( I certainly blinked a couple times when I read this over), please rest assured that all situations are based entirely on teachers and events I've encountered during my own stay at the university. Seriously.

The non-canon characters in the story are also based on profs I've had – like, in the last two semesters. ((chuckles)) The University's a fertile ground for education, but people – if you don't know their back-story – seem a little odd. Do I even need to say I love it there?

Disclaimer: Roses are red / And so is most wine/ The chara.'s from Beyblade / Are in no way mine! Ta-Dah!

Review Answers (in no logical order because I think chaos is fun!): (For those who didn't review, feel free to skip this as it won't make any sense in addition to being babbly-long.)

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Kinda: Thank you very much for your review and incredible enthusiasm! It was wonderful to hear and it was that wonderful attitude which made me finish this story up! This is so dedicated to you – thanks!

Ellen: Hi! ((gags)) Marshmallows have algae? …dude, that's yuck. ((makes a face)) As for university, though, you should totally go! As a currently participating member, I would like to inform you that university is fun. I'm just having way too much fun in exaggerating everything – but that's just to make the TyKa moments sweeter. Sorry! As for the homophobe thing – Grrr. That pisses me off to end too. ((is nauseated)) I did not like writing that scene – I can't stand it in real life, much less on "paper." But! Anyway! Thank you very much for the review!

Serena429: Thank you for the review; I'm glad you liked the chappie! I'm so sorry this update didn't come faster .. but at least it's here now, right? Right? ((looks pleadingly at you)) Revel in the TyKa goodness – and observe as Kai finally realizes that Tyson's gone! Yays! Thanks again, and hope you enjoy!

Kinra: Hi! Thanks for the review and observe: The Finishing Chapter! Ta-dah! And you think this is one of the best you've ever read? ((blushes happily)) Gosh, thanks! That means a lot! I hope you like this chapter just as well! Hope you enjoy!

El Conejo Morado: COOKIE! ((pounce!)) Snarf, snarf – Yum! Thankies! 3 Anyhoo, thankies for the review! I'm glad you liked the chappie and I hope you like this final one, too! And look! Happy ending! ((realizes she's just given away the spoiler)) Whoopsie. Ah, well. It's payback for the cookie! And yes, let us all feel very sorry for poor Takao-chan… in addition to chucking various blunt implements at Kai-kun's dense head. ((giggles)) Thanks again! ((goes to wipe the excess crumbs off her face))

Titanicbabe: Wow. For some reason, I just totally love your user name. ((shakes head)) Anyway! Thanks for the review; I'm so sorry this update didn't come sooner! But… um… better late than never? ((hopeful)) At any rate, I'm so glad you like the story so far – and that you enjoy this last chapter! Feel free to let me know what you think!

Dragonfly-affinity: Thank you for the review! I'm so glad you like the story. Thank you for waiting so patiently for the update, and I hope you enjoy the conclusion! Thanks again!

Dark Side of the Storm: Wow, thank you for that incredible review. ((feels humbled)) You're definitely welcome for this story; actually, I'd noticed the incredible angstness of the various TyKa stories out there, too, but I was wondering if that was just me. At any rate, I'm wonderfully happy to find that you've enjoyed this so much. Also, thanks for waiting for this incredibly belated update! Hope you enjoy this last chapter just as much – and feel more than free to let me know what you think, okay?

MistyEyes: Wow! Two reviews! Thank you! I'm so glad you liked the humour, b/c I'm a firm believer in stories being at least somewhat humorous. Indeed. ((vigorous nodding)) Thanks again for the reviews, and hope you like this last chapter!

FireieGurl: Oh, gosh! I'm so sorry! I just realized that I spelled your name wrong last time! Sorry, sorry, sorry! ((is horribly embarrassed)) But thank you for the review, and don't worry! Kai/Tyson goodness will abound! That stuff before only happened because Kai is an idiot. Stupid Kai. ((huggles)) At any rate, sorry for the late update and I hope you enjoy this last chapter!

TechnoRanma: Looksie! It's your review answers! ((grins)) Of course, you've already read this story, so I guess there's nothing I can say, really. ((thinks)) I mean, I've added these review answers.. oh! And I changed the last line to something I'm much happier with! I don't know if you'll read this, but I hope you're doing great! All the best to you, girl! Oh! And yes! The last episode of BB:G-Rev? SO the s-ai. ((laughs)) Tyson and Kai are so into each other, it's no wonder they get transported to the stars when they battle! ((giggles)) My theory is they just got lost in each other's eyes. ((laughs again)) So gorgeous!

Rina: Cookie! ((snarfs it down)) Thank you! ((reads the lovely compliments and blushes happily)) Oh, gosh. Thanks for those, too! You're so nice! And I'm thrilled that you enjoyed sleepdeprived!Kai. ((laughs)) He was so much fun to write, especially when I started treating the whole situation as an ongoing contest to see how many times I could have him fall onto warm!Tyson. ((laughs again)) Anyway. Thanks again for the lovely review, and I hope you enjoy this last chapter just as much!

Lichtblick: Thank you so much for the review. Seriously. I loved how you pointed out the parts you liked, because now I know what turned out (and, by default, what didn't) which will hopefully allow me to improve my writing style. Thanks very much! Here's the last chapter for you, which I hope is equally good. Feel free to let me know what you think, I'd love to hear from you!

Seiryu the Tamashii: Thanks for the review! Thanks also for pointing out how you liked the length of the chapters; I think I'm going to go with that style from now on, even if it does take a bit longer to post. And ooh! This is your favourite story! Thank you so much! And thanks, too, for waiting so patiently! I hope you enjoy!

Roxanne Morinaka: Thanks for the review. Sorry about the update time, but … um… here it (finally) is? Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Kaay-chan: Thanks for the review! I read your bio and the review does make more sense now. I think that's a really interesting idea for your continuing saga of stories! And, while your fics look really interesting, I'm afraid I'll have to wait until my two jobs calm down a bit before I'll be able to find time to read them. They're totally on my list of things-to-do, though, soo… Hope you enjoy!

Feelin Glayish: OMG, I just visited your deviantart account last night. I drool in awe and worship all over your art before I save it with ardent fervour. And you reviewed me? Wow! ((feels humbled)) For both chapters, no less! ((dances about happily)) YAY! Oh, and UBER good luck to you in your program! To be perfectly honest, I gaped in sympathy-horror when I read about your workload; I thought I was making Kai's almost unrealistically heavy, and then I find out yours is even worse! Whoah. (Re: first chapter review) Actually, though I'm in Arts now, I spent a very … special… year and a half in sciences. ((smiles)) I still have happy memories about some of those labs. And the classes were really, really interesting. I loved doing this fic b/c I could recall some of that info when I was doing Kai's pov! Anyway, thank you so much for the reviews! The ending at the end of this fic is so for you – I hope your year-end turns out just as happy! (You know, without actually hooking up with a Takao… ((thinks)) On the other hand, that would be pretty nice, wouldn't it? ((grins)) Hope to talk to you later!)

Dark Kaizer Ken-Wolf: Thank you so much for the review! I'm glad you liked the humour/angst mix – it's so hard to get it right! I hope you enjoy this chappie just as much! And thanks very much for the compliments!

Marble eyes: Hi! Thanks for the review! And wasn't Kai just awful to poor Tyson? ((joins you in whacking Kai with the laptop)) O.O I can't believe that the argument scene was just like your arguments with your "lad mate"! Freaky! Anyhoo, thanks for waiting for this belated update – hope you enjoy!

Kai-lovr: Thank you so much for this review – and hey! You even pointed out the parts you liked! Yays! Now I know what worked and what didn't! ((is uber-happy)) And yes. The business-man scene was great. I didn't like writing it, but I loved how Kai got to treat him – and then just blow the whole incident off afterwards when he was talking to Tyson. That was too much fun. And I'm glad that you kind of related to Kai – I wrote half of this when I was feeling just as sleep-deprived, so I'm glad I connected with somebody. ((is happy)) Sorry for making you wait for the update, but here it is! And look! The story alone is 26 pages! Yaysies!

Keri Arishima: Thank you so much for the review! I'm so glad you liked it – I was on Cloud 9 for a whole day after I read what you wrote, and even now I get all happy just thinking about it! Thank you! I hope you enjoy this last chapter just as much – feel free to let me know what you think, okay?

CheekyRhbadcat: Hi! Thanks for the review! ((laughs)) Kai acts like he's drunk? That's great! ((has funny mental images of Drunken!Kai)) Thanks for waiting – TyKa 4evah! W00t!

Yami Firekali: Hi! ((tackle-glomp)) I'm so sorry I haven't checked out your stories in ages! I'm so glad you're loving the chapters, though. That's just wonderful to hear! As for Kai dealing with the homophobe… yes. ((snarls)) I did not like writing that homophobe. I'm going to picture him as running home, crying to his Mommy. Yes. But thanks very much for your praise! I hope you enjoy this last chapter, too!

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Additional A/Ns: ((singsongs)) Eeeeviiilll… that's what I aaaaamm! Eeevil! ((pauses)) Actually, this was one of those unfortunate chapters where, no matter what I said, I thought it automatically sounded dirty. So, I guess that's another mini-warning. ((whines)) It's not fair! I blame Freud! The profs won't let up on his stuff! ((grumbles))

Dedication: To Kinda, whose review (which I got this morning! Thank you!) made me kick my unmotivated butt into gear in order to post this. Thanks very much!

Please enjoy!

WtNtLtD
Chapter Three

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Thursday morning. One day more. He could do this. He could. Holy crap, no, he couldn't.

Kai stopped at the coffee shop, his body trembling (again) with exhaustion. His eyes twitched permanently now, and some idiotic girl in the elevator had told him that the bags under his eyes could have easily carried a month's worth of groceries. His eyes themselves, she further informed him, were so bloodshot it was a wonder there was any blood left flowing through his body and – holy cow! Did you notice that it's hard to tell where your irises leave off and the rest of your eye begins? Cool! ..No, wait! That's so ewww!

Kai shook with fury, even at the memory. Yes. He was tired. He knew that. He'd stayed up all night without napping, working hard on the various lab assignments. He'd finished them around five in the morning and had promptly fallen face-first onto the couch to try and get a few hours of sleep. Something, though, had made him too cold and had ended up staring at the ceiling for two hours.

Odd how you could live years in a place and never really appreciate the random pattern of a stuccoed ceiling.

Life-saving espresso now in hand, he sipped it almost desperately in the hopes it would warm him. He was so cold and tired; there were goosebumps breaking out everywhere and the world around him wouldn't stop spinning. He might have actually, finally reached his body's limit – wouldn't that be something? He didn't think he'd ever felt this exhausted, not even after his battle against Brooklyn. Even then, his body might have been in better shape, helped with the knowledge that he'd given strength to his teammates. But now…

Faltering his way across the snow-covered campus, Kai felt shallow relief only when he stepped into his building. The mechanical heat blasted down on him, warming his skin. Superficial though it was, Kai couldn't help but pause a moment and moan softly in bliss.

And now he'd lost his momentum. Crap. With great effort, he started moving again, using the flood of students around him to keep him going. As he staggered down the halls, he could feel himself detaching from his shuddering body. It was so cold again. He wanted a blanket – his blanket, just please let him warm up! Cold…

He reached his first class of the day several minutes early and headed for his usual seat in the front row. Glancing tiredly at the board, he was confused to see his professor pause in his writing and looked perplexedly at him. The white-haired immunology professor put down the chalk and gestured.

"Mr. Hiwatari, may I see you for a second?"

He probably should have been curious, but all he could feel was extreme reluctance to move some more. Backpack still digging in, Kai shuffled over to the prof's desk, having to grab it for balance when his body was washed with a sudden dizziness.

"Mr. Hiwatari," the prof began. "What are you doing here?"

Kai stared, feeling like he was going to collapse. "I'm coming to class, sir?" He fought down a surge of nausea.

The prof continued to look perplexed, until his face cleared with a gentle smile. "Ah, so that's how it is," he murmured, mostly to himself.

"Sir?" Kai tried to stop shaking and listen to his prof.

Mr. Kushimoto steepled his fingers. "Let me explain. Last night, as I was sitting down to supper, there began a very insistent knocking at my door. My visitor turned out to be none other than your friend – Mr. Kinomiya, I believe? He looked rather worse for the wear, but was as polite as anyone could be. He apologized profusely for interrupting my dinner and begged me to listen to what he had to say." The prof shot a significantly scolding glance at Kai, who was looking intrigued despite the fact he was wobbling on his feet.

"Mr. Hiwatari, you should have alerted us to the fact you are taking five difficult lab classes this semester. As things stood before, I was feeling at a loss to explain the extreme drop in your class performance, though it's a compliment to your work ethic that your marks have remained surprisingly stable. Mr. Kinomiya was the one to explain your situation and, with his help, I was able to arrange a brief meeting this morning with your professors."

Kushimoto adjusted his glasses. "In light of the knowledge of your heavy workload, in addition to your dedicated nature, we have agreed that it is not unreasonable to ease your burden a little. As such, you are formally exempted from attending classes until you get back on your feet, and any assignments due within the next two weeks will not be counted towards your final mark. As for class notes, because yes I know how you think, boy, we have unanimously agreed to send you our lecture notes through e-mail, and you can review them at your leisure."

Kai, for the first time in as long as his short-circuited brain could remember, was stunned into total immobility. His prof's words spilled over him, and they seemed to contain good news, but…

Had he heard right?

Kuhimoto's hand settled supportively on his shoulder. "Go home and get some sleep, Mr. Hiwatari. It looks as if you've caught that flu that's been going around." His voice adopted a distinctly amused tone. "Everything's taken care of, and you are a very lucky young man. You just worry about recovering. You might want to close your mouth, though. You look rather flummoxed." He gave Kai a gentle little push towards the door. "Go on now!"

"I … sir, I …" Kai felt tears of relief springing to his eyes as he tried to find the words to express his bone-deep gratitude. His brain had shut down though, and this all seemed like some wonderful fantasy. "I … Thank you so much, sir. Thank you. I—"

The prof shook his head. "Ah, no. It's not me you should be thanking. You are welcome, of course, but you really should be thanking that friend of yours. If it weren't for him, we would have never known, and our best student would have probably snapped from exhaustion. Now, get going. Shoo!"

Kai stumbled out the door, overwhelmed. He didn't have to go to class? His assignments were cancelled? This was… oh, gosh. It was almost too much. He felt himself move without thinking, and let his feet carry him where they would.

A while later, he found himself in front of his next class. He stared at it absently before moving to go forwards, letting his feet move for his brain. Suddenly, an elegantly manicured hand slammed down, barring his path.

He looked up, entirely out of his element and feeling like a lost child. Slowly, his eyes took in the fiery features of his cell biology prof. Her green eyes flashed and she shook her red hair back vehemently.

"Kai, honey?" she demanded, the rich voice snapping out in her characteristic address of all her students. "What are you doing here?"

"I…" Kai started, only to have her cut him off.

"Didn't Kishimoto talk to you? He told us he would! Oh, poo. Well, I guess that means that I get to tell you the good news!" She grinned.

"Ah, no. Actually, he did tell me just now. It was just that I was wondering…"

Mrs. Mackenzie deflated, before rising up again. "You were wondering if it was true? Well, do I have news for you, dah-ling: it is, utterly and entirely. Your assignments are cancelled for the next two weeks, and you can skip classes guilt-free. In fact, I refuse to let you into my classroom until you get some sleep. Look at you! You're so tired I could push you over with a fuzzy toothpick!"

Kai sighed. He didn't know how this prof was so energetic all the time. "Yes, but…"

She poked him. "You're just lucky that honey of a friend of yours came by, is all I've got to say. Now, scat! Go sleep! I'll send you my lecture notes tonight!"

"But—"

"Tut! No! Not another word, I shan't listen to you. Now, get thee hence from this yon institution or what-have-you. Go!"

"Yes, ma'am." Kai gave in. "Thank you."

She grinned at him, clasping her hands over her ears. "Not listening!" she carolled. "La la la…"

Kai raised his hands in mock-surrender before turning and heading home. It was only after he'd reached the halfway point that the enormity of the situation hit him. He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, suddenly unable to do anything but let a grin tackle his face in sheer glee. It was… This whole thing was… Wow.

Aware that he looked like a fool, he found himself unable to stop smiling as he briskly walked the rest of the way home. Grinning was, after all, much more dignified than the slightly hysterical giggles that wanted to burst out, or the surprisingly strong urge to skip and laugh.

He could sleep! He could finally sleep!

Kai moved to unlock the apartment door when the thought struck: he didn't have a huge workload anymore, so he could sleep in his bed! This was too good!

As jubilant as he would allow himself to be, he swung the door open, taking in the explosion of mess their apartment had become before dismissing it just as easily. In fact, nothing had ever looked more welcoming. He was home – home to familiar things and events. But more importantly…:

He could sleep!

"Tyson?" he called out. "I'm home!"

Silence greeted him and he was thrown for a moment before remembering. Muttering, "Right. It's only 10:50. Tyson will still be in classes. Of course," Kai shook his head at his own stupidity. Then, double-checking that the lock on the door was in place, he stripped down as he headed to his bedroom.

Secure in the knowledge that no one was around to see him, Kai carefully positioned himself, and then let himself fall back onto the bed.

And, oh! It felt so good! The pillow was softer than he remembered and the covers were so warm and silky! Kai wrapped himself up snugly, feeling any remaining stress evaporate as his body relaxed into a happily groaning heap of mush.

It felt so good!

With the sun shining in through the window, Kai was asleep before the clock ticked into the next minute.

…

…

…

Warmth and softness and light in his face was what Kai woke to. Finally feeling like himself again, he glanced at his bedside clock, surprised to find it was only two in the afternoon. The sun had barely moved, it seemed.

He yawned and stretched. Was that all? It felt like he had slept for much longer. Maybe he should try and go back to sleep, though he didn't really feel like it. Grabbing his housecoat as he rolled out of bed, Kai walked out of his bedroom and took a moment to enjoy the relative silence of the apartment. It was … nice, he decided. Maybe he could catch the weather and see what I was like outside. It certainly looked nice enough, with the sun shining brightly through the windows, but appearances certainly weren't everything.

Sidestepping the piles on the floor, Kai dragged the chair over into the middle of a sunbeam and turned on the television. It sprang into life – complete with Technicolor- and a smartly dressed man pointed at locations on a map of Japan.

"Well, it's a beautiful Saturday afternoon, with highs well above normal. This heat wave is likely to continue for the next few days, so go out and—" the weatherman was suddenly muted as Kai pressed the remote in shock.

It was Saturday?

He blinked, twice, before nodding slowly to himself. Well, that certainly made much more sense as to why felt so rested. He stretched out, enjoying the sunshine a little longer and absently wondering where Tyson was. Though the past few weeks were really nothing but a hazy black blur, he tried to remember if Tyson had ever mentioned doing anything special this weekend.

Distracting him from his pleasant musing, his stomach growled, making Kai sigh. He supposed he should get something to eat. He got up and began walking towards the kitchen, but froze as he saw the broken lamp on the floor. He looked around again at the apartment, taking a second look and realizing the pigsty it had become. Coffee cups were everywhere, TV dinners were moulding on the remaining surfaces, a table was overturned, Cheetos bags littered the floor…

Kai frowned. Maybe he should clean up first. But in his housecoat?

Pausing in indecision for a moment, he decided to shower before beginning. He left the bathroom feeling refreshed, clean and rejuvenated, before rummaging through his closet for his favourite pair of "work" clothes. Then, dressed in an old pair of ratty, cut-off jeans and a faded black "BB: U C?" tank top that he vaguely remembered stealing from Tyson, he set to work, putting on the radio for background noise.

Grabbing a dusty mop and dustpan from their narrow closet, he backed up and took a look around again. Actually, he should probably tidy first. He sighed, putting the things away before hauling out a couple of industrial-sized garbage bags bought for such an emergency. Kai hit the kitchen first, piling the occasional dish in the sink for later hand-washing and throwing out anything that even resembled garbage.

As he threw things out, he found it vaguely amusing that he could now classify the types of mould he saw in the various TV trays. On the other hand, it was somewhat comforting to know that the various danger levels of the things that were growing colonies were relatively low.

Relatively.

Two seconds later in the midst of reaching for a particularly nasty pile of garbage, he hesitated, thought for a second, before leaving for the storage closet and returning a minute later with some yellow dishwashing gloves. It was a measure of how serious things had gotten in the apartment that he was actually wearing them. Kai shook his head, amused, as a memory surfaced of the last time they'd been used.

((Flashback))

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At the end of their second year's fall semester, Kai and Tyson stared in horror at the mess. It was huge, gigantic, and other words that meant fear-inspiring. It was entirely theirs – amassed during the last month of finals. And now that finals were done, they'd have to clean it up.

Tyson moaned theatrically before collapsing on the floor. "It's killed me with the stench alone, Kai! Run! Save yourseeeeelf!"

Kai raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at his lips. "I've already opened the window, moron. And besides, we've had the three Glade air fresheners just replaced. It's not that bad."

Pretending to ignore his captain of ages ago, Tyson gagged, beginning to writhe on the floor. "My nose! It cries for mercy!"

"What are you talking about? You've lived with it for the past 3 weeks – why is it so horrible now?"

Tyson stopped in mid-squirm, only to grin cheekily up at Kai. "Maybe because I can see up your nose and am thus reminded of my olfactory senses?"

Kai gave Tyson a glare, feeling rather self-conscious – though of course he'd die before admitting it. "Get up, then."

Tyson flopped back down, still feeling a little silly. "But it's comfyyy," he whined, still grinning a little.

Kai rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I'm not surprised that you find it so," he continued the banter. "You are down there with your fellow grime-eating microbes."

Tyson froze, shooting a glance at the floor mere inches away. "Eww. Really?"

Kai smirked. "Why do you think I've been wearing indoor shoes for the past month?"

"Oh, ew, Kai. Thank you very…" Tyson scrunched his nose into a crinkled ball before starting up in realization. "Hey! I do not eat grime!" He stuck out his tongue vehemently. "So there."

"Yeah, right! What do you call those?" Fully engaged in the friendly combat, Kai pointed emphatically at the mounds of wrappers on the floor.

Tyson stood up and crossed his arms condescendingly, biting back a grin of his own. "I'll have you know that Twinkies are not grime. They are an important, nuclear-resistant food source that contains 7 essential nutrients." (1)

Kai snorted. "Oh, right." He began ticking the list off on his fingers, "Sugar, sugar by-products, artificial flavours, caramel foot grease, ear wax…"

Tyson swatted at his hands. "Oh, shut up. As if your caffeine addiction is any healthier. And hey – doesn't it stunt your growth?" He sauntered closer to Kai, raising a hand to his head to compare heights. "Hey, I'm taller than you! So what does that tell you?"

Kai looked incredibly unimpressed. "It tells me you're on your tiptoes, Tyson. Face it; I'm taller than you and always will be.

Tyson fell back onto his flat feet. "By, like, an inch! Not fair!"

Kai shook his head, remembering the cleaning they still had to do. "If it bothers you so much, go get high heels or something." At Tyson's indignant squawk, he carried on blandly. "Julie was showing me hers the other day. Apparently they go up to 6 inches."

Tyson went silent, which Kai took to mean that he was fuming silently. He smirked over his shoulder – yup, Tyson was tapping his foot promisingly. "I'm sure you'd look great in a flashy hot pink number."

"Kai!" Tyson shouted, his face going red in a mixture of embarrassment and indignant anger. He whipped his finger up to point dramatically at Kai. "YOU," he announced, "are so dead."

Kai gave him a measuring glance, before casually checking the pulse on his neck. "News to me. Not that I'm surprised, of course. You English majors don't have any brains for rational logic."

Tyson sneered, stalking over to where Kai had opened the closet door. "Yeah? Well, at least I use big words that will actually exist in a dictionary and aren't made up to describe something microscopic!"

"Better that we invent impressive new words rather than trying to impress everyone with our laid-back, unprofessional sweats and general greasiness."

Tyson nudged Kai in the chest with his elbow. "Ah, but you'll notice I have a distinct lack of a geeky lab coat."

Kai twitched. "Do not remind me about the lab coat. I still haven't gotten over the fact I need to buy a new one for next semester. They're over 40 bucks, Tyson!"

Tyson whipped around, giving Kai his best defensive wounded dog impression. "Hey, it's not totally my fault! You were yelling at me to do the laundry so I did! I still don't see why you have to get so mad!"

Kai pursed his lips. "Tyson, you washed it in hot water with that stinking red shirt of yours. My pristine white lab coat turned pink. I had to wear a PINK lab coat for the last two weeks of the semester, much to the amusement of all fifty people in the class!" He snarled at Tyson, who backed up and turned, quickly rummaging in the haphazard organization of the closet.

There was a pause, before Kai grumbled. "Can't believe that one girl said it matched my eyes. It did not."

Behind the closet door, Tyson desperately tried to muffle his entirely inappropriate laughter.

Kai crossed his arms. "I'm still waiting for my apology, you know."

He got an answering snort, muffled slightly by the closet's walls. "What are you talking about? Those stains on your lab coat totally destroyed my red shirt. I loved that shirt!"

"We've been over this, Tyson. That shirt of yours was five years old, at the very least."

"Then it had sentimental value?" Tyson's voice weakly suggested, still muffled slightly. "Ah, here we go! Hey, Kai! I just figured out what will solve all your problems!" His face safely hidden by the closet door, Tyson grinned wickedly.

Kai tilted his head in mild curiosity, knowing that Tyson had nothing serious to say. "What? A different roommate?"

In response, Tyson drew back dramatically into sight, pulling on a huge pair of yellow dishwashing gloves. "Au contraire, my dear boy. You'll be pleased to know that the doctor," Tyson paused, snapping his right glove meaningfully "is IN."

"Oh, good." Kai didn't even blink. "Then he can tackle the garbage mountain in the living room."

"Aww, Kai!" Tyson protested, but was cut off by Kai snapping his fingers an inch away from his face. "Aa! Don't do that, man! I've had way too many beyblades fly at me to not freak out at that!"

"I know," Kai returned to smirking. "Go clean, Tyson."

Tyson brushed past him, "Fine. But that means I get to pick the music."

"Hn. As if I care abo—" Kai broke off what he'd been about to say when a familiar preppy base beat began sounding around the apartment. He groaned "Tyson, not Spears again!"

Tyson bobbed his head, 'singing' along. "Iiisiiin't she luuuckkyy, this – Ow! Kai, that hurt!"

Kai gave him a look, feeling no guilt at having thrown a paperback at Tyson's head in the slightest. "Good."

Tyson shot him an equally heated look. "Fine," he gritted out, then deliberately hit the "repeat" function on the CD player. "Whoopsie," he carolled. "Lookit at clumsy ol' me."

Kai closed his eyes in resignation, gathering his shattered calm about him like a protective cloak. With a hidden sigh, he, too, set to work, though he took definite comfort that Tyson had to touch all the grime-infested areas due to his garbage duty.

---

Back in the present, Kai snorted in disbelief. Tyson had always been a little … untameable. In all the years Kai had known him, he'd only seen him withdraw one time – the rest of his life had seemed as if nothing in the world could keep him down. Inwardly, Kai had never stopped being stunned at that drive. Sure, he recognized that he had that own determination within him, but Tyson's resolve seemed to be fuelled by an unending bright energy that swept everything up into a whirlwind of adrenalin. Kai may have been methodological, but he would be lying if he said he hadn't counted on that energy too many times to be admitted. There was just something about Tyson, Kai supposed - as he had many times before. You were fine in your life until he burst in. Five seconds later, your life was overturned, your values flown into disarray, and all you could do was blink in shock and say, "How did I survive before this?"

Kai cringed as he picked up a particularly nasty banana peel. As with every time he had to clean, he promised himself that he'd keep their place in better condition. This year he actually hadn't done too poorly – at least until the second week of classes had started. Kai continued to clean on automatic, trying once again to remember what had happened since then.

The radio softly playing the rock music in the background, Kai continued to wrack his brain. He didn't like being at a mental disadvantage to begin with, and now he had a wriggling, nagging feeling that he was missing something critical. Based on the recent, praiseworthy events (Kai took a moment to silently thank benevolent professors the world over), he knew it didn't have to do with school. It wasn't monetary either. Having pooled their funds, Tyson and Kai had enough money to not have to worry about any monthly withdrawals the various companies would make, though they certainly had to work hard during the summer.

Was it groceries? Well, they were low on food, but that wasn't anything new. Kai would just go and pick some up tomorrow.

Had he missed an appointment? No... he always ensured those were scheduled during March break.

Social life? Kai rolled his eyes in fond disgust at himself. He had no social life, nor did he see why people needed one. As long as he had the necessary equipment and interesting specimens, he saw nothing wrong in spending the entire day at the lab. Peace, quiet, and squirmy microorganisms. It may have been weird – Tyson certainly thought it was – but Kai didn't think he'd ever derived this much enjoyment from something necessary to his future.

Educated guesses at what was bothering him obviously weren't solving his problem, though. His memory was still a hazy blackness, though if he remembered hard enough he could dimly recall a warm blanket of some sort…

He blinked. What an odd thing to remember.

Shrugging, he returned with increased vigour to cleaning. He'd clean up and then he'd sit down and remember… whatever it was.

In the meantime, he would be satisfied with the knowledge that Tyson would seriously owe him when he got back.

---

Two hours later, Kai believed he was almost done. The garbage had been taken out, the furniture had been dusted, the windows had been cleaned, the dishes had been washed and put away, and the bathroom had been immaculatized. Kai paused a moment, wiping at the acrid sweat on his face, breathing a little heavily. He'd launched himself entirely into the cleaning and it showed – the place gleamed. He was just about done washing the floors and then he'd be able to relax.

The phone rang two minutes later, just as Kai was dunking their mop into the slightly dirty water. Gritting his teeth at the grating insistence of the ring, he leaned the mop against the wall before lunging for cordless – grabbing it just before it switched over to the answering machine. He kept a wary eye on the mop as he pressed the "talk" button – the mop was notorious for clattering onto the floor if it wasn't propped up against a surface in a specific degree of angles. During some of his paranoid minutes, Kai occasionally believed it was conscious and out to drive them insane. Eeeevil mop.

"Hello?" Kai wondered, slowly edging back over to the mop, which shook tauntingly at him. Maybe he could grab it while whoever it was spoke. Unless, of course, they wanted to speak to Tyson – then he'd need both hands free to write out the message.

"Hey, Kai!" Rei's surprised voice sounded through the receiver. Kai shot an equally surprised look at the phone. What on earth would Rei be calling them for?

Rei continued, oblivious to Kai's reaction. "I can't believe it! You're coherent!" His voice faded as he obviously spoke to someone beside him. "Hey Max! Kai said a whole word!"

"What on earth are you babbling about?" Kai snapped.

Rei's voice returned in full, accompanied with a shrug that was somehow conveyed through Rei's speech. "Nothing much. It's just that when we called a week ago, you weren't making any sense." Rei's snicker made Kai twitch. "We had to use Tyson as a translator!"

Kai frowned in confusion, though he was relieved Rei couldn't see the embarrassed tinge he could feel heating his face. "You called last week? What about?"

Rei gasped loud enough to be heard over the phone. "You don't remember?" he wailed theatrically. The voice faded again as he turned to his partner. "Maxie, he doesn't remember!"

"Kon," Kai ground out, not in the mood for the neko-jin's characteristic playfulness. He shot a glance out the window, looking at the setting sun. It was getting a bit late, and Kai growing mildly concerned. Tyson hadn't called once and the thorough cleaning hadn't turned up any explanatory note. Not only that, but he'd found Tyson's room already cleaned (a heart-stopping event in and of itself), the bed didn't look as it had been slept in a while and Kai hadn't found Tyson's backpack around anywhere.

Kai shook his head, dislodging the thoughts and returning to the conversation. "Whatever it is, just spit it out already."

He heard Rei grump. "Touchy," came the muttered complaint. "Surprise, surprise."

Kai scowled but said nothing, tucking the phone by his ear with his shoulder and moving back over to finish mopping.

"Anyway," Rei's voice filtered through the line, "since you don't remember, we gave you guys a call last week because we wanted to know if you two wanted to get together when classes finish for the semester. You know, to spin the tops a few times and maybe catch up a bit? And yes," Rei continued wearily, accurately predicting Kei's scornful comment, "I know there's a month left. Maxie insisted we call you guys early to make sure we got you two before you made … other plans." Rei paused and Kai dimly heard Max chuckle softly.

Kai shrugged automatically before remembering that Rei couldn't see it. "Whatever," he said instead. "I wouldn't mind that, actually."

"Hey, awesome!" Rei exclaimed. "I don't know about you, but what with school and all, it's been ages since I let Driger out to play."

Kai let his smirk enter his voice, already gearing up for their friendly competition. "I'm sure it will show."

There was suddenly a scuffle on the other end with a muffled laugh, and suddenly Max's voice burst through. "Hey, Kai!"

Kai mentally groaned. He'd never been able to come to terms with Max's unnaturally high levels of naturally produced sugar. "Hello," he calmly returned.

"It's great to hear you sound better!" Max chirped. "Can I talk to Tyson?"

Kai concentrated on scrubbing at a sticky spot on the floor. "Ah, actually, he's not here right now. Do you want me to give him a message?"

"Oh, no, no, no!" Max's voice rushed to answer, and Kai could detect a note of panic. "It's nothing! It's just that when I was talking to him last week, he sounded really depressed. I was just hoping to see if things had gotten better, really."

Tyson? Depressed? That news alone was enough to make him stop mopping. "What about?" he inquired, trying not to make it sound too demanding.

A brief, whispered conversation, and then Rei's voice picked up the line - rather snottily, Kai thought. "Kai, if you don't know then we're not going to tell you."

Now he was getting annoyed. "What sort of cheap, cop-out answer is that?" he bit out, not bothering to mask his irritation.

"It's the only kind of answer you're getting," Rei returned hotly. "Do you know if Tyson'll be able to come to the get-together?" For some reason, he sounded unduly worried.

Kai rolled his eyes and seriously debated sarcasm. Of course he didn't know. Instead, he switched ears and answered. "No clue."

Max took over again. "Well, do you know when he's getting back?"

"Again, no. And why don't you know if he's coming or not? Weren't you talking to him last week?"

Max hesitated slightly. "Well, yeah. But he didn't get a chance to answer."

"Why not?" This wasn't sounding like Tyson at all.

Max's voice regained the inner smile. "Because he said that you'd fallen asleep on him and so he had to hang up. Apparently, you were cutting off circulation to his legs." Another chuckle escaped through the line when Kai didn't answer – he was too embarrassed. "Well, you wanted to know."

"Shut up, Max."

"Sure thing. We've got to go anyway. Give us a call when you find out about Tyson, willya?"

Kai sighed. "If I must. I'm sure he's just at the library or something."

"WHAT?"

Kai winced and held the phone as far away from his ear as possible as Max's voice rose to untested heights. "You don't know where he is? Kai, you—"

Kai's thumb pressed the "end call" button, taking great satisfaction at the finite clicking sound it made.

---

The sky grew dark with the onset of the night as Kai finished the cleaning and made a small supper for himself. Plate in hand, he moved to the chair and grabbed the Immunology book he was supposed be reading. Making himself comfortable, he turned on the television's entertainment channel for some background noise before plunging into the frothy, exciting waters of the immune system's lines of defence.

Although, somehow the normally fascinating involvement of the cells didn't seem so interesting at the moment. Deciding to relish in the lack of stress, he stretched. He stared off out the window, noting that the glimmering lights of the city completely outshone the stars.

Tyson would have enjoyed that – would have probably run with that train of thought straight to develop it in an essay and would have promptly amazed the professor with his intuitive insight, or what-have-you. Kai let a soft smile glow on his face at the thought. Tyson would always come home after getting a good essay back, his face beaming in ecstasy. If Kai wasn't bogged down with work – or even if he was – Tyson would inevitably drag them both out to a bar or some such thing.

Of course, after a single drink, Tyson would end up flirting extravagantly with their waitress. The odd thing was that, more often than not, he wound up getting her phone number. He'd usually call a couple of days later, they'd go out, and they'd instantly "click" as friends. Kai had calculated one time that Tyson's female friends outweighed his male friends by 68 percent.

He wasn't sure how to feel about that. Absently, Kai slipped a bookmark into his place in the text and let the book rest against his chest. It wasn't that he was surprised that Tyson had so many friends. Tyson's outgoing nature made it easy to attract people. It was just that, sometimes, Kai would begrudge the social life that Tyson was so obviously enjoying. On nights where Tyson would dash out with a cheerful, anticipatory smile and a promise to see him later, Kai would feel … missing, somehow. The minute the door swung shut, the apartment grew cold and lifeless, leaving Kai to turn on the music and try to distract himself from the chilly emptiness of the room.

On such a night, a sudden storm had blown up outside and Kai had wondered if this might have been his life had he not come and lived with Tyson: dark, friendless, empty, devoid of any cheerfulness, stuffed into a cramped, dirty room with nothing but a falsely cheerful dj for company. Even now, the weight of that depressing thought made him shudder.

Tyson didn't know this, of course. Kai had had enough trouble telling himself the truth, much less telling Tyson what he'd realized. Besides, Kai liked to maintain at least his image of the lone wolf. As for Tyson… if Kai had told him, he knew that Tyson would have felt guilty about leaving and would have stayed home. Tyson, Kai sighed, was nice like that. His niceness occasionally made Kai feel sorry about the depths of his own scumminess.

Not that Tyson would ever find out about that, either.

Their microwave clock chimed seven o'clock, making Kai direct his previously absent gaze towards it. Tyson wouldn't ever have a chance to find out, it seemed – certainly not if he stayed away. Where was he, anyway? Kai made a few calculations and hypothesized that Tyson had been away for at least a day and a half – the longest he'd ever been without informing Kai as to his whereabouts since they'd started rooming together.

Kai let his head slump back against the chair's back, letting out a sigh big enough to ruffle his bangs. This was ridiculous, he told himself. Tyson is fine. There is a logical explanation for everything and this is no exception. Even if you can't remember where he is, assuming he told you last week sometime, then he'll come back before Monday. I saw his books here, and he has to do his readings for the week. He'll come back. He has to, just has to…

At that particular moment, his stomach decided to tie itself into knots. Kai groaned.

"There is no reason to worry," he told the empty apartment. His confident, self-assuring voice fell flat and faltered as the clock ticked away the seconds. "Tyson is fine. He's over twenty-one. He is a grown man." His voice rang hollow.

But … what if Tyson wasn't fine? What if something had happened? Tyson was so trusting – still let that encompassing trust in humanity guide his actions. What if someone had taken advantage of that? Kai began to feel nauseated and his throat dried out. His hand grabbed at his hair and then clenched: a sure sign of a panic moment. Kai began running through everything that could have happened. Tyson could have met someone and had gone out to a bar.

He could have met a new girl and was showing her around campus.

He could have twisted his ankle walking home, which was why he was so slow.

He could have been bitten by a dog.

Hit by a car.

Stabbed by some drunkard.

Raped by some freak drug-addict.

Kidnapped by some former rival.

Kai started trembling. What if Tyson was lying there, bleeding on the streets while Kai sat here like some fat lump?

"Tyson, Tyson, Tyson…" he chanted under his breath, his eyes darting around the room frantically, as if they'd missed seeing his blue-haired best friend before.

Kai realized he was panicking and took a deep breath. He clenched his eyes shut and breathed slowly for a good minute before daring to open his eyes again. He had been overreacting before. Tyson was fine and would show up when he came home. Kai would, of course, wait until Tyson did show up before chewing him out for making him worry. Kai let an anticipatory smirk quirk up his lips. This reaming was going to be very intense; Kai didn't think he'd ever worried this much before.

He blinked. Actually, if he thought about it, all the worrying he'd done over the past years was about Tyson. The schoolwork was stressful, but he'd never worried like this about it.

Kai felt his lips part slightly in shock. He'd never felt what he did now for anyone else before this either. More importantly, though, what he felt now was vastly different than what he'd felt towards Tyson in high school – or even during the prime of their beyblading days. In high school, he wouldn't have flipped over this – he would have shrugged it off as Tyson being his normal irresponsible self and not given it a second thought. But now …now…

He didn't have to look in a mirror to know he was a wreck.

What had Tyson done to him? Without his knowledge or awareness, Tyson was somehow the only thing that Kai valued now. His dreams, his grades, the events in his life – they were nothing without a cheerful bluenette with eyes that smouldered warmly and a smile that substituted the sun. Without Tyson, Kai was … nothing. His only small comfort lay in the fact that Tyson probably didn't know – nor would he, if Kai had any choice in the matter. Tyson had too much power over him. There might have been no-one that Kai trusted more, but he'd rather be executed at dawn than to willingly admit to his loss of control.

He found himself chewing on his thumbnail and tore his hand away in disgust. Just look at how distracted he was already! How on earth would he be able to function at all when Tyson was around now that Kai knew …

He knew…

Kai admitted the truth in the small corner of his mind: What he felt for Tyson… it wasn't just friendship. It was more. It was so much more – like how the moon dominated the other stars in the sky, or like the ocean washed over the creeks. How the major highway compared to their quiet, residential one-car-wide street, or even how the Concorde swirled graceful circles over the bumbling bee.

His smile grew despising. He was such a pathetic loser. There was no way that Tyson would ever feel the same. How many girls did he know, and how many more were breathlessly waiting even a glance from Tyson? Besides, what would Tyson want with Kai? He was –

Able and willing to mentally berate himself, the sudden strobing of the television caught his attention. The officious looking reporter shuffled her notes at him, then gave her general audience the perfunctory smile. "Welcome to the hourly news. Tonight, we'll investigate the latest charges and recent activity in the West. But first," she announced, shuffling her papers again and clearing her throat.

"Tragedy struck the University of Tokyo's campus today when a drunk driver collided with a student. The young man, whose name has not been released, was hit while he was crossing the intersection at approximately four o'clock in the afternoon. Unfortunately, he has obtained severe injuries and is in critical condition."

Kai felt his heart stop and wither away, before his legs burst into action - dashing themselves towards the television. His hands gripped the monitor, as if that would reveal something more. Nononono came his mental chant, his eyes scanning desperately at the screen. The reporter prattled on, carrying news of the charges of the driver and the promptness of the emergency team. All Kai could take in, though, was the single shot they showed of the jean-clad legs sprawled motionless – the rest hidden by the car.

Tyson always wore jeans… He wasn't home… He never looked when he crossed the street – always trusting the cars to stop for him.

Tyson was…

Numbness ate away at Kai's body, beginning with his chest. It was worse than any cold he'd ever faced because with it came the knowledge that he was alone. His vision blurred for a moment before he bent his head. Kai bit back a sob, then released the despair within him with a yell. His hand arced up to hit the TV set, effectively destroying the reporter who was now describing the recent bombings in Iraq.

He shuddered before restraining himself again.

He knew what he had to do.

His face blank and unmoving, Kai moved swiftly over to the closet and grabbed his jacket. In doing so, he had to look at Tyson's winter jacket, which still hung in the closet next to Kai's, before averting his eyes. He didn't want to know… but somehow, he had to know. To know if the one in the hospital was really…

Stars, he couldn't even think it. He was pathetic. And empty. He was worth nothing.

No, he realized as he shakily put on his shoes. He was worse than nothing. The last month and a half could have been spent with Tyson, but instead he'd stayed awake to work on his schoolwork, tuning the world out. And now, Tyson was in the hospital in critical condition and Kai ­couldn't even remember what Tyson had last said to him.

Kai grabbed the door for support, not only for the wave of sorrow that drowned him, but also for the bile of nausea that rose in his throat. He was scum.

With bitter self-revile, Kai jerked the knob, getting ready to head into the Not-Tyson world of the planet. He could already anticipate what would happen: the cold walk, the bright, chilly hospital room, the discovery of the identity of the one who'd been hit… and the colder walk back. Would Kai give in to the twisting thought in his head, which said he should end it all? There were so many ways and they were all so accessible.

Tyson would have punched him out for that thought, but Tyson wasn't here anymore, was he? Kai clenched his eyes shut. No…

And tore the door open, stepping forward before his automatic movements could grind him to a stop.

But stop he did, because there, in front of him, staring at him with inexplicably hesitant eyes and biting his lip…

Tyson.

His Tyson – with jeans and backpack and keys and flaws and friendship and everything.

He felt his knees sag with the sudden joy that flooded his body, washing away the despair and grief and sorrow and death that had so consumed him earlier. His eyes could only stare, unblinking, as he took in the vision in front of him. The mourning tears which had tracked their way down his face slowed and stopped, before starting up again in sheer joy. His arms, desperate to hold onto reality, reached out and grabbed the warm arms of Tyson, pulling the other inwards into a trembling, grateful hug. Kai bent his head, only to have it shudder against Tyson's shoulder.

Tyson was alive. The student who'd been hit… it wasn't him. Tyson was ok. And here. Warm and trembling in his arms and not going anywhere.

"It wasn't you!" he murmured, his voice strained with repressed grief. Even now, in the midst of the joy, the despair that he'd felt just seconds ago scared him boneless.

"…Kai? What are you doing?" Tyson's voice slid dully into Kai's ears. Confused, Kai drew back.

He froze as he suddenly actually realized what this might have looked like. Tyson had probably come back from a long day at the library, only to be pulled into a desperate, too-long hug by his roommate, who'd probably ignored him consecutively for the past month.

Kai risked a glance to look at Tyson's face – really look at him, and drew back further with what he saw. The softly burning fire in Tyson's eyes had dimmed drastically, while his face was twisted in bitterness.

They stared at each other for a long while, each desperately wishing to know what the other was thinking. Tyson dropped his gaze first, shuffling his feet on the floor. "Hi," he muttered. "Sorry for bothering you. This will just take a minute, I'm sure."

Kai's eyebrows shot up, then tried to raise themselves to epic heights when he realized that their door was still open. He shot a quick, apologetic glance at their prudish, elderly, peering neighbour before closing it quickly. His right hand, though, stayed firmly planted on Tyson's warm arm. The two of them, now confined to their narrow lobby, stared at each other some more, the silence growing increasingly awkward.

Finally, Kai had had enough. "Come on in, Tyson. I can explain." He mentally winced as he heard the soft, pleading almost-whine that infused the suggestion.

Tyson chuckled softly, but bitterly. "Let me guess. You've gotten your sleep and now you're doing make-up comfort? You don't have to bother. I mean, I appreciate the sympathy and all, but…"

Kai tilted his head, not bothering to hide his confusion. "What? Well, yes, but…" He rolled his eyes and tightened his grip on Tyson's arm, who was squirming slightly in a subtle effort to break free. "Okay, no. You come in." Kai shot a venomous look at his roommate despite the tears he knew still glistened in his eyes. "We're starting from the beginning."

He dragged a quietly protesting Tyson over to the couch, before tossing him easily onto it. Kai pointed a demanding finger at Tyson "Sit. Stay. I'll get you something to drink – you look exhausted. Did you spend all day at the library again?" Turning his back on the stunned look of Tyson's face, Kai headed off for something to drink for the both of them. Tyson was obviously … well, "off" was the only way to describe it, and Kai knew he was still shivering with the aftershocks of that fear. The two of them were a dual wreck. Despite all that, though, he could hear his voice hardening slightly, his emotions gratefully withdrawing into the automatic front he presented to the world.

When he came out a minute later carrying two Cokes, he saw Tyson curled up in the far corner of the couch, those normally vibrant russet eyes staring dolefully at the floor. Kai blinked. Had he been dumped or something? This seemed worse than getting a bad mark on a term paper or some such thing. He firmly suppressed the guilt that gnawed at his heart. He hadn't even known Tyson had a girlfriend, much less what was going on.

Scum, scum, scum… what kind of friend was he? A scummy one, that was certain. And Tyson was just…

Abruptly, he shoved the drink at Tyson. "Here. Drink. Talk. What happened?"

Tyson shot him a scornful glance, one that said, "as if you don't know." "You first," he only said aloud. "How has your weekend gone?"

Kai glared. "You start. I asked first, after all."

Tyson huffed and dropped the eye contact. "Look, whatever. Indulge me for a change. How have you been doing?"

'­Indulge me' – the words seared through Kai's brain, as if to remind him how awful he was sure he'd been before. Prompted by his conscience, Kai answered. "Well, fine, if you must know. The profs all granted me extensions and gave me two weeks off from classes for some odd reason. So yes." He sighed, "in case you're wondering, I did get some sleep. And," he added, only slightly vindictively, "I cleaned the place. By myself."

"No kidding!" Tyson's eyes shot upwards again with a genuine look of surprise. "But, um… the television's in shards."

Kai's eyes shot a panicked glance at the tv's gruesome remains. "Ah…" he stammered. "Well, the thing is, with that, it was…" Kai risked a glance at the confused face he'd come to know better than his own. Should he tell?

"Yes. Tell me," said Tyson simply, and it took Kai by surprise – how had Tyson read his mind?

"I told you before," Tyson muttered, shooting an embarrassed glance at the floor. "I can see right through you, Hiwatari."

Kai squirmed, then caught himself squirming. Crap. Salvaging his tattered dignity, Kai sniffed. "Well, if you must know, there was a news report about a student who'd gotten hit today. And you weren't home, and I didn't know where you were, so…" he trailed off, unable to finish the sentence or even to look at Tyson. This was the most emotion he'd hinted at in … well, ever.

"Kai…" Tyson's voice breathed, full of sympathy. "And you thought… Oh, man, I am so sorry. I… are you ok?" A warm hand tentatively touched his shoulder, as if afraid.

Belatedly, Kai realized his face had scrunched up with the effort of holding back tears. He tried to wave his hand dismissively, not trusting his voice to speak. This was ridiculous. Tyson was here and safe and Kai knew it wasn't emotions brought on by fatigue. What was wrong with him? Shakily, looking down in shame the whole time, he brought his hand to clasp gently at the warm one on his shoulder. It would probably be uncomfortable, but he needed reassurance that Tyson was here.

His hand closed firmly around Tyson's. With some distant amusement, he noted that Tyson's hand shook worse than his. Should he be relieved? Frightened? Was Tyson going to run screaming from the girly little Tyson-liking boy he'd apparently become – and was helpless to change? Unconsciously, he clenched in fearful anticipation, daring a peek upwards at Tyson's probably disgusted face.

Instead, Tyson's head shook softly as if he knew what Kai was going through, and his eyes had softened into liquid pools that Kai just wanted to drown in. "It's ok, Kai," he heard whisper. "It's ok. I'm here, and I'm not going to leave for a bit."

Kai's expression went from grateful to sullen, his awake brain easily picking out the problem with that sentence. "Wait, you're going to leave?" he wondered. "Why?"

Tyson froze and extricated his hand from Kai's continued hold. "As if you don't know."

Kai shrugged and shook his head negatively. "I probably don't. Tell me."

Tyson's expression went from mortified to angry. "What? You want me to say it again? Is that it? You want to hear it once more – just to confirm your knowledge that your roommate is a freak? Well bite me, Kai! Get off my back!" Tyson shot up out of the couch's seat and stood indignantly, staring down at Kai in trembling rage.

Much of Kai's lost confusion must have shown on his face because Tyson suddenly paused and looked uncertain. "Uh… you do know what I'm talking about, right?" Tyson's face suddenly spread into an attractive crimson.

Again, Kai shook his head. Then, affronted that he'd even been doubted, reached out and grabbed Tyson's arm. "I told you to sit. We can get back to this later. I want to know where you've been all this time. You had me worried sick!" The phrase leapt out before Kai could stop it, but somehow the shame he felt at admitting that didn't come. Tyson had worried him sick and Kai wanted Tyson to know that, wanted Tyson to know, even in this small way, how much Kai cared for him.

Tyson looked guilty for a moment, then just as confused as Kai looked before. "I told you on Wednesday. Remember? I said I was going to stay at someone else's for a while until I could figure things out." He shifted, uncomfortable. "Actually, I'm probably going to head back there as soon as I grab the rest of my texts." Tyson's voice lowered to a barely audible mutter. "Otherwise, things are going to be waay awkward."

"What?"

"Nothing."

Kai snorted. "Riiight." He folded his arms over his chest, immeasurably hurt. "What on earth could you have to think about that you couldn't do over here? I can stay out of your way if you want. I've done it before, and I most certainly could do it again."

Tyson shot him an incredulous look. "I do not believe you! Of course I couldn't think about this kinda stuff with you around! I mean, look at you!" His hands waved dramatically at Kai's body in a grand, emphatic, all-encompassing, vague gesture.

Obliging, Kai looked down at himself. He saw a pathetic university student who'd only just recovered from too much sleep deprivation, dressed in ill-fitting, too-small, ratty old clothes that mostly weren't his. He looked at Tyson, curiously. "I fail to see your point."

Tyson glared.

"Well, I don't! And getting back to this whole issue, what on earth would make you leave here?" Kai hesitated only a second before launching on to more personal ground, the desperation at losing Tyson making his voice jump slightly. "Do you really have to go? I mean, you're in a good location, the rent's not too bad, you're a great roommate…" A thought hit him and he swallowed in blood-draining realization. He covered his eyes with his hand. "It was something I did, wasn't it? Otherwise this conversation wouldn't even be happening." He glanced through his fingers, cautiously taking in Tyson's stunned expression. "Give it to me straight. What did I do?"

Tyson licked his lips. "Nothing, really." He smiled a self-mocking smile. "It's all my fault, honest."

Kai blinked, taken aback. He briefly checked himself for grievous injuries. "Well, I'm still intact and the apartment hasn't burnt down, so I fail to see just what, exactly, you did."

Tyson looked down for a long time, as if gearing himself up for a nasty confession. Finally, his soft voice whimpered through the silence. "You really don't remember? It was Tuesday night…" Tyson seemed almost to plead.

Kai felt guilt ransack his mind again. With Tyson's voice like that, he would have given anything to remember if it would make Tyson happier. Instead, all he had was the pathetic truth. "I don't," he muttered, ashamed. "Sorry."

Tyson muttered an even lower comment to himself, one that sounded like, "Hey, you did it once. The second time will go a lot better, right? Yeah, right." Finally, Tyson shook his hair back and looked Kai straight in the eye. "Well, if you really don't remember…"

Kai shook his head, honestly curious now.

Tyson briefly closed his eyes, sighing. "All right, then. Taking it from the top. Hello, Kai." He extended his right hand.

Kai decided he felt an interesting mix of bemusement and bewilderment. He reached out his own hand to shake Tyson's. "Hello."

Tyson grinned, somewhat shakily. "My name is Tyson. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am twenty-two years old. I am no longer heterosexual. In fact, I am most definitely singularly homosexual." Tyson's delicate grin grew even shakier as he withdrew his hand and looked at Kai's reaction.

Kai… stared. "You're what?" Shock nailed him to the couch with hopeful magnets.

Tyson's grin widened to scary proportions. "Why, yes. Your best buddy Tyson is gay. Isn't that a nice surprise! And, might I add, it's so nice to see you paying attention to me this time."

Kai dismissed the last oozing sarcastic sentence in favour of concentrating on the first part. He blinked several times, firmly squished his fluttering heart, and forced himself to nod calmly. Once past the initial shock, he discovered that it didn't really change his perception of Tyson in general. Of course, now this silly hope within was even stronger, but Tyson himself hadn't changed. "All right," he accepted. "That's cool. Sorry about that. Uh… can I ask how you…?"

Tyson seemed taken slightly aback by Kai's quick, relatively calm acceptance. "Huh? Oh, sure. Well, there was this guy and I ran into him and he said I was gay and I didn't think I was but then there was something else going on and I started to really think about things and after a while I realized that girls were nice to look at and all but I didn't really care about them and …" his voice trailed off, out of relevant information and air. "Yeah."

Kai… blinked again. "How verbose."

Tyson shot him an incredulous glance. "You don't remember that either?"

Wordlessly, Kai shook his head.

"Wow. Ok." Tyson took another deep breath. "Hey, though. I wasn't done my introduction." The scary grin planted itself back on his face, despite Kai's inner panic. "You want to hear the best part?"

Kai raised his eyebrow. What on earth could be more shock-inducing than telling someone you were gay? "Sure," he said instead.

"I'm crazy about someone already! Actually, he's my best friend! How's that for a kicker?" Tyson laughed desperately, blinking quickly to push back the sudden tears Kai could see invading.

Kai was caught in a state of limbo. Intense surging hope that the one Tyson meant was him, and despair-causing grief that insisted that Tyson had too many friends for Kai to be counted as a "best" friend – he was probably no more than a roommate. A "high school buddy."

Tyson, for once, misinterpreted his neutral face and went on the defensive. "Yes, I know. It's weird that I want you and all, but try to get over it, ok? Your face is creeping me out."

Kai choked. "ME?" he gasped, shock fully colliding with his head with the deadly speed of sound.

Tyson paused in his nervous fidgeting to summon a scathing glare. "You didn't know? Man, I thought you were supposed to be all smart or something."

He certainly didn't feel very smart at the moment. Kai couldn't even think of a witty retort, much less find the thought process to summon a glare.

There was a nervous pause. "Say something, willya? You're gaping like a fish, you know."

"Aaa…" Kai gargled. "Me?"

Tyson bit his lip and closed his eyes, as if he'd been expecting this reaction. He shook his head and went to stand up once more. "Yup, you. I can't stand to look at you without wanting to hold you and kiss you senseless. This would be the critical influence that makes me unable to think about anything when you're anywhere around me. And now you know, and so that's all you'll hear from me because I know enough not to actually expect anything back. Sorry about all this." Tyson shot him a weary, mocking grin, looking again at Kai's frozen face. "That's it. I'm gone. Goodbye, Kai."

"No!" the word leapt from his mouth before he could stop it, and his hands leapt out to fist in Tyson's shirt. "I… well, it's just that…." He hesitated and paused, wishing desperately for some time to compose himself. He was no good at impromptu speeches, much less ones that dealt with profound emotions he had realized only a few hours ago.

But if he didn't say what he felt, then Tyson would leave. Maybe forever. And Kai didn't want Tyson to leave, just like he didn't want the Earth to stop spinning or the air to stop existing. Tyson leaving would utterly crush him – but how to say that?

He was at a complete loss for words; the only sounds he could attempt to make were squeezed into nothingness by the tight pain in his chest. Instead, he made do with shaking his head vigorously in denial and clenching his hands tighter in the cloth.

Tyson, to his credit, hesitated at the sudden unstable wreck his crush had become. "Kai?" he breathed for the second time in that conversation, daring to hope … just maybe? His heart, cracked already with defeat in the only area that had come to matter, paused before its final demolition.

"I…" Kai took several deep breaths. This was worse than writing a final that he hadn't prepared for. How had Tyson admitted it with such ease? He continued to stare at the floor. Fake hardwood was really quite interesting. It had all those spots and specks and lines…

A sudden thought struck him and he began to snicker with the sheer irony of it all. Even funnier was that he could feel Tyson tensing beneath him in shock. He quickly calmed himself down. Tyson, he somehow knew, had gone through too much to be held in suspense any longer. To answer the unspoken question he could feel hovering in the air, Kai leaned back against the couch.

Tyson blinked at him – half in confusion and half in expectation. "Kai?"

Kai chuckled one last time. "It's almost clichéd, isn't it? You know," he went on to explain, gazing almost mockingly at the ceiling, "the two best friends since high school get a room together, fall for each other and wind up happily ever after." He snorted. "If I had a dime for every time I'd heard that story, well... I certainly wouldn't have to work, that would be sure."

He turned his head to leisurely face Tyson. "Of course," he continued, "that doesn't make it any less true." Kai forced himself to hold the gaze, internally praying fervently that Tyson would understand what Kai still couldn't bring himself to fully say.

Tyson blankly stared at him for a long moment before his eyes suddenly widened. His lips parted in shock, and the previously dimmed fire lit up those beautiful eyes once more. Kai felt like smiling and so he did, giving into the soft temptation to openly appreciate the sight before him.

Tyson suddenly grinned in full, the smile illuminating the small apartment once more. "No way," he said.

Kai cleared his throat. "Way."

Tyson inched in, his face shimmering in nervous hope. "You're not kidding?"

Kai went to roll his eyes and mutter a comment about Tyson's stupidity, when he actually looked at Tyson again. Melting chocolate eyes poured over his heart, and Kai found himself unwilling to do anything else but to stare at Tyson – to stare until time stopped, or something equally drastic.

"…Tyson…" he heard his voice murmur and watched as his hand drifted over to settle gently on Tyson's cheek, feeling somehow rewarded when Tyson licked his lips nervously.

Tyson's face began to inch closer, almost hesitantly. Kai watched it with rapt fascination and silently thanked the sleep that let him be awake to absorb everything in front of him. Tyson was trembling faintly, his eyes were softly closing, those expressive lips of his were pursing slightly…

Kai moved closer to Tyson on the couch as his heart quickened in anticipation, the fabric underneath him rustling slightly. There was no other sound in the dark apartment; it seemed as if the world had paused and was holding its breath. Even the moonlight seemed to freeze, beaming only on the two nervous men on the couch.

"Hold on…"

A frown suddenly crossed Tyson's face and he drew back, apparently missing the whining growl that rumbled from Kai's chest. Kai frowned warningly and drew back himself, letting his arms cross themselves in a gesture of frustration. He was not pouting, nor was he sulking petulantly. He just wanted to know what could have been so vital that warranted interrupting the 'moment.'

With a deep breath he waited for Tyson to speak. He would wait until Tyson was done babbling, and then he would kiss him. Senselessly. Kai smirked. That would show Tyson to interrupt his hormones.

Tyson looked at him, his lips twitching as if he was trying to restrain a smile. "Sorry. I had a good reason for that. You know how you said you don't remember my previous confession?"

He blinked, then drew out his answer. "Yeeeah?"

Tyson tilted his head, in such a manner that (although Kai had seen him do it thousands of times before) it made him want to run his hands through that impossibly blue hair to feel its softness and warmth. "So," Tyson continued, "what do you remember?"

Kai leaned smoothly back into the couch, thinking hard. As expected, the usual black blankness swam upwards. Kai frowned, searching deeper; he glanced at the apartment around him, trying to find some object that would stir his memory. He had no luck with that, and so turned to Tyson with a helpless shrug. "Nothing. The best that I can come up with is this memory of something warm."

Kai groaned at his lack of self control. This was so embarrassing! No longer would he be in control of the situation now that Tyson knew he had such a horrible memory. In his lap, his hands fisted in consternation.

Tyson, though, blushed fiercely and looked down. "That's all you re-remember?" he stuttered.

Kai glared at him, letting Tyson interpret the silence. He wasn't going to admit to his weakness again.

However, instead of being affronted, Tyson just beamed at him, still visibly red despite the dim lighting of the apartment. Tyson moved in – making Kai's breath hitch for some reason – and draped a warm hand across Kai's shoulders. Kai continued to stare at Tyson in rapt study, his eyes searching for the reason as to why Tyson would be delighted with his pathetic memory.

Tyson grinned at him and moved in even closer until their noses bumped playfully. Kai looked at the familiar face in front of him through half-closed eyes. He was still vaguely curious about why Tyson had been so happy, but was rapidly dismissing the investigation in view of how Tyson was looking at the moment.

"I hope you realize," Tyson's voice breathed softly across Kai's lips, "that the warmth you remember … was me."

Kai's eyes shot back open and he jerked back, missing Tyson's critical last inching movement forwards. "You?" He turned an incredibly suspicious look on to Tyson – who was looking as put out as Kai had felt earlier. "Did you do something that I should be aware of?"

Tyson fidgeted in a feeble attempt to inch closer without actually seeming to. Feeling slightly vindictive, Kai openly moved down the couch, seeing clearly through Tyson's actions. He smirked at the pout that Tyson immediately wore, where the bottom lip practically touched the chin.

Tyson fidgeted again. "Nothing much, I guess." He flashed another bright grin at Kai. "Just took care of you when you were acting like a total baby."

Kai twitched. "What?"

Shaking his hand dismissively, Tyson continued. "Nah, sorry. It wasn't that bad." He pursed his lips, which made Kai itch to finish talking so they could move onto other, more enjoyable things that didn't include discussing the complete fool Kai had made out of himself before.

He snorted. "You're lying through your teeth, aren't you?"

Tyson stretched. "Weeeelll," he drew out. "Waking you up in the mornings was probably the worst of it. The rest of the time, you really just acted like a zombie."

At Kai's resigned sigh, Tyson grinned again. "A really cute, brain-dead zombie."

Kai glared as Tyson continued, caught up in his own perceived superiority. "A really cute brain-dead zombie who seemed obsessed with cuddling."

A glance at the now-fuming Kai. "With me. It was like I was your personal teddy-bear."

Kai growled, shooting a hand out to cover Tyson's mouth when it opened to say more evil things. "You," he said, "will shut up. Right now."

He could feel Tyson's lips move into a smile under his hand, and suppressed the shiver that wanted to make him tremble. They were so close right now, in a way that had nothing to do with their proximity.

Tyson seemed to read his mind, because the hand he brought up to take Kai's hand away from his mouth was oh-so-gentle. "Hey," Tyson murmured.

Kai gave him an appraising gaze. "Hm?"

"I just realized something."

Kai's half-smile ran away screaming at the promising tone in Tyson's voice. "Oh?" he muttered.

Tyson leaned in once again. "If you don't remember anything else, then you probably don't remember what else happened Tuesday night."

"Ah, no," Kai coughed. How embarrassing, he thought.

Tyson pouted cutely. "Darn. So you don't remember me kissing you until you were mush and putty in my quite-capable hands?"

Kai's eyes shot open and he threw himself away from Tyson, falling erratically onto the floor with a hard "thud." "WHAT?" he yelled. "I thought you said nothing happened!"

Tyson offered him a hand up. "Nothing except for that. Honest." He snickered.

Kai glared, yet took the proffered hand. "Do I even want to know the details?"

A moment passed before he registered the hopeful look that was overcoming Tyson's face. Kai waited expectantly. "Well?"

Tyson worried at his lower lip, trying to hide the obvious grin. "I don't know if I could tell you all the details, but I'm thinking I could probably show you. Fairly precisely, too."

Kai adopted a proud stance. "My obvious hypothesis is that the outcome won't be the same." He smirked, daringly.

Tyson shifted into a better position, his face reflecting the excitement that had started to silently crackle between them. "Is that a challenge?"

"What do you think?" If Kai knew Tyson as well as he thought he did, then that reply ought to do it.

Tyson grinned, easily accepting the obvious incitement. "I think you'd better prepare yourself." He licked his lips.

Kai watched absorbedly as the muscle wetted Tyson's mouth. Catching his breath (and conveniently ignoring Tyson's knowing gaze), he raised his eyes again as his smirk grew. "Show me what you've got, then."

"I always do, love."

There was a stunned pause.

Kai drew back in shock and watched as Tyson's eyes shot wide open and his hands flew to cover his mouth.

Had he heard that right? Kai wondered, but a glance at the horrified look on Tyson's face was enough to convince him that that sentence had slipped out against Tyson's conscious will.

Biting his lip and turning red, Tyson moved down the couch. Kai instantly registered the difference without the other's body heat, before debating what he should do.

The answer was obvious.

His face adopted a rarely-seen smile that encompassed the melty, hopeful feelings inside him. Once again, Tyson's courage had shone out, leaving Kai amazed that he had ever gone without this brightly burning spirit that was quivering so fearfully on the couch beside him. Kai moved down the couch with slow movements, not wanting to frighten Tyson away, yet needing to get close to him, to reassure him. Tyson shouldn't ever have to be afraid, and certainly not of Kai. Kai would never hurt Tyson, not even if it meant sacrificing his own self.

A fraction of a second of hesitation, and then his arms wound around Tyson and drew him into a tender embrace. Tyson stiffened slightly, yet let himself be manipulated enough to become comfortable on Kai's lap.

Kai leaned in, positioning his mouth so that it was near to Tyson's ear. "That was very nice to hear. Say it again?" he murmured softly, his breath fluttering a few strands of Tyson's hair.

Unknown to Kai, a hint of pleading slipped out in Kai's voice. It made Tyson warily turn around and return Kai's encouraging look. He bit at his lip. "Love?" he whispered, trying the word again nervously.

Kai felt his eyes blinking rapidly as he felt something inside him melt into utter capitulation. "Again?" he pleaded, needing to hear that one word that was suddenly making every moment in his life seem worthwhile.

Tyson moved upwards, gaining confidence. "Love," he said, once more bumping noses playfully. "Love. I love you, Kai." His lips brushed softly against Kai's cheek, briefly outlining one of the tattoos.

Kai shivered and felt his arms clutch almost desperately around Tyson. Tyson returned the embrace, equally needy, and for a while the only sounds in the apartment were the desperate, sobbing, ragged breaths of two men caught up in a long-denied release of emotions.

A few minutes later, Kai relaxed, brushing his own lips across Tyson's forehead. He smelled really good, Kai realized, moving to bury his nose into Tyson's neck. Tyson accommodatingly moved his head so that Kai could have better access, and Kai proceeded to relish the delightful aroma that was hitting his nerves with a sledgehammer.

What was it about Tyson that made him suddenly sit up and take notice of things he'd never really registered before? Kai wondered at this, too, before dismissing it as unimportant. He was too caught up with this unique aroma, which seemed hauntingly familiar despite the fact he'd never paid attention to how Tyson really smelled before. Ignoring the faint blush he could feel eating at his accursedly pale skin, Kai tentatively licked Tyson's neck. He tasted good, too. Darn. Now Kai wouldn't ever be able to resist him – not that it had been very likely in the first place…

Suddenly, hands tangled themselves in his hair and tugged incredibly gently upwards. Kai complied and soon found himself on equal level with Tyson. They stared again at each other for another long minute, before something made Tyson quiver. Kai felt those warm hands of his move down to softly cradle his face. He sighed, incredibly content in the moment, and let himself smile slowly at Tyson.

Tyson quivered again before moving in, brushing his lips over Kai's other cheek. "Is it any wonder that I love you so much?" he sighed. The sheer fervency of his voice made Kai shake a little in sympathy. Would he ever be able to express his own feelings in such a confident way? Tyson was amazing. Kai wound his own hands through Tyson's hair to pull him in, resorting to actions to express what he himself could never say.

Tyson deserved so much more than him, Kai knew. But, for some reason, Tyson had irrationally decided on Kai as the only one…

Kai firmed his resolve. He would do whatever it took to make Tyson happy – to actually earn the feelings that Tyson was humbling him with. He moved back slightly, shaking his head to clear away the bangs that had fallen into his eyes. They blocked his view of Tyson, and that was bad. Especially now that he was going to try and say what he felt…

He opened his mouth, closed it, and then looked down at their recently entwined hands. He didn't actually have to look at Tyson when he was saying this, did he? He opened his mouth again.

"Tyson, I…" he stammered out, feeling like some sort of incapable school-girl confessing a crush. Then he realized what the implications were of what he'd just thought. He quickly hog-tied that idea and mentally chucked it into a snake-infested pit. "That is to say, I… um…"

"Kai?" Tyson's soft voice brought his gaze back upwards. Kai bit his lip as he took in Tyson's expression. It was that soft, understanding one – the one he'd seen after he'd unwillingly broken down in a comforting Tyson's arms after Zeo had stolen Dranzer. The sheer memory of that experience was enough to have him shake slightly.

"Kai, it's ok," Tyson continued, soothingly. A hand rubbed calming circles on Kai's back. "I know. It's ok, I know." Tyson smiled tenderly at him.

Kai frowned, ignoring the happy relief that was washing through him. "But, Tyson, it's not fair. I mean," Kai continued, struggling to find the words to express what he meant, "it's not fair that you should say it and that I … can't." That last word was choked out as Kai realized the truth. He couldn't say it, couldn't give Tyson what he deserved … could he even admit it to himself?

He tried this, looking away from Tyson's sympathetic, understanding eyes. 'Tyson,' he thought, 'is everything. I…' There, too, his mental voice tapered into nothing, leaving only a swirl of confusingly happy colours.

He buried his face in his hands. He was pathetic. And scum. And…

"Kai, bloody hell look at me," Tyson's voice, suddenly hot with anger, seared through his ears. Feeling compliant, he glanced up at the bluenette, who sat half-shadowed in the dark. Two shaking hands gripped his arms, making him tremble slightly in association. He looked at Tyson, confused.

Tyson grinned tentatively at him. "Hey."

Kai tried to appear fine – he really did. "Yeah?"

The two hands rubbed up and down Kai's arms in a soothing gesture. "It's ok, Kai. I understand."

He sighed. "I know that, but I still…"

Tyson shook his head, pressing one finger on Kai's lips to get him to stop talking. "Show me?" he grinned winningly.

He glanced down at the warm finger that still pressed against his lips, then looked up at the hopeful face in front of him. Show…

Kai smirked. He'd always been more for overt demonstrations, anyway. And didn't actions speak louder than words?

Still, as he pulled Tyson closer and met him in a soft kiss, he vowed to, one day, confess his feelings. Somehow, he would find a way to ­tell his Tyson the things his voice choked on, what even his heart shied away from declaring. In the meantime, though…

He kissed Tyson again and again and again, letting his lips and mouth answer Tyson's euphoric recitation as their hands pulled worshipfully at the other.

"I love you, Kai. I love you so much," Tyson sobbed, escaping Kai's mouth only to reattach onto Kai's neck. Kai let his head fall back with a small noise and let Tyson do as he would. Everything was for Tyson, just as he knew that he was everything for Tyson. He pushed aside the humbleness that came with that thought, smirking instead as an interesting idea skittered through his mind.

Outside, the clouds that had previously obscured the moon shifted, moving away and letting the pale, white light shine into the windows of a certain apartment. The full moon seemed to shimmer as time itself, encompassing the past, present, and future in the space of a single night. With benevolence, it looked down at the two individuals who had finally come together after years of emotional separation.

"I love you, Kai," Tyson sniffed – saying it once more that night, and as a promise for the rest of their lives.

And Kai, after a while, voiced it just as earnestly.

---

Author's Text Notes:

(1): Family Guy reference. It has taken over my braaaaainn.. Rrrgh. ((clutches head in pain)) Stewie! Nuuuu!

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A/Ns: Twenty-six pages. ((dies))

But! ((grins)) SMEXY! (I hope?) ((waves at a certain someone))

Have you noticed how most of the time, those who appear incredibly confident on the surface have this little wiggly snake inside them that makes them mentally insist they suck?

And have you noticed how much crap I put Kai through? Muaha. Evil! I ­liked that confession scene. After all, Kai needed to vaguely suffer the angst and torment he unwittingly put Tyson-sweetie through. Yes, indeed. ((nodnod))

Alsoooo… did you notice that Tyson was wonderful enough to let the whole excused-from-classes thing slip by without demanding a "thank you"? ((swoons)) He is the niceness.

It was so much fun writing this li'l thing. I hope you enjoyed!

Please review! And hey! If you don't know what you want to say, you can tell me what you think of this debatable question:

Kai's face-marks: Face paint or tattoos? --

((shrugs)) I dunno, which is why I'm asking you guys. ((grins)) Everyone in this community is so smart and friendly! Wowzers! I promise to e-mail you guys back for reviews, if you'd like!