Chapter Nine: Scares

Tsukasa stretched out in his hospital bed flipping through the channels on the television, safely snuggled in his father's arms. It was his third day in the hospital and the child was beginning to become increasingly bored. He had played with all the buttons on his bed, moving it to every position possible. The child left it on some random station and curled close to his father, curling his aching hand closer to his body. The IV had slipped out of place and the nurse had had to take the old one out and put in a new one. It had hurt much more than he had expected it to.

Tomonori stroked the child's head, pulling him closer. "Your poor little hand," Tomonori muttered while gently lifting the child's hand to kiss Tsukasa's fingertips. "Does it still hurt?" Tsukasa nodded glumly, hand aching. "I'm sorry, it should stop hurting in a few minutes. Do you want me to put a video in?" Tsukasa shook his head.

"I want you to stay here," he said quietly, yawning. He was still on pain medication, but it wasn't as strong now. It made him drowsy though so he spent most of the time sleeping. The child closed his eyes, not willing to fight against the medicine in his blood stream. Tomonori stroked the child's head, hoping it would help him fall asleep. He didn't want to leave the child alone, but he had to use the bathroom so bad. He had only left the child's side when the kids were here, or when the child was asleep.

Ten minutes later, Tomonori began to untangle himself from the child pausing several times to make sure that Tsukasa was actually asleep. He made it out of the bed and quickly into the bathroom. The child had seemed to be sound asleep, but he couldn't be sure. The man jumped as he heard Tsukasa beginning to scream.

"Daddy! Daddy, where are you?" The sensei cursed in his mind. He was simply going to have to finish his business before he could leave the room.

"Tsukasa, I'm right here, I'm the bathroom, calm down. I'll be right out," he yelled hoping the child would hear him over his own yells. The child was getting hysterical and he was sure people in the rooms next to theirs could hear him.

"Daddy, where are you? You promised you wouldn't leave me." Tomonori's heart felt like it was breaking at Tsukasa's quiet voice.

"Tsukasa, I'm right here. I'm just in the bathroom," he yelled through the close door, hastily zipping up his pants as he heard the child moving around on the bed. "Stay on the bed," he yelled opening the door in time to see the child slide off the bed, tears streaming down his cheeks, shoulders shaking with sobs. Tomonori simply had to take one step forward to carefully pick the child up, mindful at the IV's in the child's body. He held the child close, sighing. At least he had accomplished his task.

He went back over the bed as a nurse came in. "Is everything okay here?" she asked looking at the pair. Tomonori nodded as he lay back down on the bed again, holding the child tight, rubbing his back.

"He just got scared when he woke up, and he couldn't see me. He'll be okay." The nurse accepted this explanation and left. Tomonori turned his attention to the terrified child in his arms. "Shh, it's okay, I'm here, and I didn't leave you. I just had to go to the bathroom really bad." He simply held the child, murmuring senseless words of comfort to him, waiting for him to calm down some.

Tsukasa stopped sobbing several minutes later, reassured by his father's warm, strong arms around him. "I was afraid Rin and Kureno were going to come back," he said quietly, tears still leaking out of his eyes. Tomonori held the child tighter and kissed the top of his head.

"Rin and Kureno will never touch you again. You will never even see them again unless you want to. They're in jail and won't be getting out for a very, very, very long time. You're safe. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you, okay?" Tsukasa remained silent and still. "Okay?" Tomonori prompted, pulling back slightly to look at the child. Tsukasa nodded, eyes read and puffy, cheeks wet, still scared, and curled into his father's body.

Tsukasa was released from the hospital the following Friday with orders to take it easy, and he was to come back in two weeks to get the stitches out. Tsukasa was thrilled to get out of the hospital. He wanted to sleep in his home, in his father's bed, not the weird one at the hospital. Mana, Kaname, and Itsuki had all visited him as much as they could with school.

Tomonori sat the child down on the couch of their home, plopping down beside him. Tsukasa looked around and smiled. "I'm glad I'm home. The hospital was so stuffy," he said wrinkling his nose. Tomonori smiled at the child's face, pulling the child into his lap. He was surprised the child hadn't complained about constantly being held, or cuddled. Tomonori couldn't keep himself from almost constantly holding the child, reassuring himself that Tsukasa was actually there and that he hadn't dreamt it all up. He had come so close to loosing him already, and was determined not to give the opportunity for it to come again.

"Let's celebrate," Tomonori said abruptly, "that you're home and healthy." Tsukasa smiled brightly.

"Can I have ice cream?" he asked though he already knew the answer. Tomonori laughed.

"Of course you can have ice cream!" I'd give you all the ice cream in the whole world, Tomonori thought, and anything else that your heart desired. Tomonori went into the kitchen getting down, plates, cups, and food with Tsukasa dancing around him, completely cheerful and seemingly unaffected by his two-day kidnapping aside from that one time in the hospital. He knew there was going to be instances like that, very small things that would make him remember something about his kidnapping, but they would deal with that when it came.

He brought the food into the living room and put one of Tsukasa's favorite movies in, putting an arm around the four-year-old to allow him to lean against his chest. The movie went off two hours later and Tsukasa was sound asleep, stomach full of junk food. Tomonori left him on the couch, the child's head in his lap, stroking his hair not wanting to move. He wanted to simply stay like this forever, gently stroking his son's hair, keeping the demons away from his precious child. After about half an hour Tomonori did pick the child up, his sitting position now uncomfortable. He brought the child into his own room, knowing that he wasn't ready to sleep alone. He had already promised the child earlier that day that he could sleep with him.

Tsukasa didn't even stir as his father changed his sleeping form and laid him on the bed. Tomonori brought in some of the papers he still had from the last time he had worked, along with some things the school had sent over. He didn't grade them for long though, sleep calling to him. He changed into his nightclothes and settled down beside his son.

They both woke up late the next morning, awoken by the sounds of footsteps on the stairs, people talking, and stuff being moved. Tsukasa was already wide-awake sitting up in bed, a worried and scared look on his face. Tomonori rubbed the sleep from his eyes, sitting up. He reached over and rubbed the child's back, frowning. "What's wrong?"

"Someone new is moving in. I don't want any new people," the child whispered, voice scared. Tomonori instantly saw the problem. He was scared that this new person was going to do to him the things that Rin and Kureno had done. He was fine when he was with father, or his friends, but he desperately didn't want anyone new in his life right now.

"Wait, it's not someone new, I just remembered. Did you remember meeting Ms. Shiraki before you were turned little? She was going to be teaching at the school, and we had her over for dinner one night." Tsukasa frowned and nodded. "She rented the apartment here, and I remember her telling me she was moving in soon so she's the one who's moving in. You know her, kind of, and I really don't think she would do anything to harm you, and besides, didn't I promise not to let anyone hurt you ever again?"

Tsukasa nodded at his father's statement, and he certainly did remember Ms. Amy Shiraki. He remembered how pretty she was; yet still unmarried, and how she and Tomonori had looked at each other during that whole dinner. He had even told Tomonori to ask her out on a date, that he wouldn't mind inviting her into their life. But he minded now. He didn't want anyone new, especially someone who could steal his father away from him. He snapped back to the present as his father began talking. "Tsukasa, is something else wrong?" The child immediately smiled hearing the concern in his father's voice. He didn't need to worry his father. He had other things to deal with. So what if he was terrified that Rin and Kureno would come back and that they haunted his every waking moment, and his sleeping ones? His father didn't need to know that. He shouldn't be a burden to anyone; if he acted like he was fine he wouldn't be a burden.

"Nothing's wrong, Daddy, I'm just not really awake yet." He put on his brightest smile, hoping his father would see through it, but expecting him not to. He expected him to see the pure terror, hurt, and worry in his eyes, but his father simply smiled and hugged the child before getting out of bed asking him what he wanted to eat.

Author's Note: I'm sorry the chapters are so pitifully short, but this is not wanting to be written. Hopefully, though with this new character things will go smoother, and since everyone was asking the last chapter was the end for some odd reason, I will tell you when it the end. I will write THE END at the end of the chapter, okay? I do not know how long this will be, but I defiantly need to work on it more since I have no clue how often I can update once school starts. I'll be a freshman, so I'm guessing not often with having to switch schools (again) and adjusting to all that crap in the humongous high school we have. One high school for the whole city, retarded people. Anyway, on to review responses!

Manda: Yes, he was saved.

Lexi-Teniro: lol, I'm glad the 'Daddy' gets you every time. Thanks for the review!

Kisara0013: Well, he might have kicked her butt, but Tsukasa was hurt and concern over ruled the anger so… lol.

Lady Elbereth Tealrose: They will eventually get him back to normal, but it's going to take a LONG time. I haven't decided exactly how that's going to work, but it will.

Bluemecurry: Tsukasa will be little eventually, like I said before, it will a LONG time.

WhitePhoenix: Yes, I updated. The chapters aren't wanting to be written so it's taking a little while to write so sorry.

Miffy-chan: I've never had stitches actually so that's why he was asleep because I don't how to describe getting them.lol.

Sesshy's Goth: No, it wasn't the last chapter. The last chapter will not be coming for a while, and thanks for the review!

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! The reviews for this story have been amazing! Eight reviews in one chapter! Thank you! I have 59! Thank you!