The next few days were the same as the last. Raidou was angry. Genma wouldn't say anything. He would eat very little, drink very little, and sleep very little. He did not speak. And Raidou wanted to take him to the hospital. Genma would not have that. He would not.

Raidou tried to calm himself down with working out. Taking out some anger in punches and kicks at the punching bag and the training field in the forest. It hardly lifted his spirits. He wondered if anyone even realized they were gone. But it had been too long for Raidou… He wanted to talk to his friend. His lover.

"Genma…" Raidou whispered in Genma's ear.

"Genma, can you hear me? You have to get up and eat more…get out of the house…" he said. Genma did not stir.

"Genma, please get up… You're going to kill yourself if you keep this up! Is that what you want? To leave me? Genma, Hayate's death was not all that bad! Hayate still lives on in our hearts, no matter how corny that sounds! I'm serious, Genma… Please stop moping around!" he cried. Desperate. He wanted things back to normal. If a friend was killed, then that was it. There was nothing anyone could do for him. It was a lost cause. Resurrection was not an option. Genma rolled onto his side on the bed.

'At least he had been sleeping…' Raidou thought to himself. He was becoming upset again. When would Genma get up? This was becoming ridiculous.

There was a knock on the door.

Raidou got up from Genma's side and walked slowly to the door. Whoever it was kept knocking until Raidou opened it.

Kakashi.

"Oh, hello, Raidou. Are you busy? I haven't seen you in a while and I, Iruka also, have been wondering if something has…gone wrong," Kakashi looked weary. Maybe Iruka kept him up all night worrying about them. Raidou hoped not.

"Oh…well… Tell Iruka we're fine. But, Kakashi…" Raidou sighed. Kakashi was a loyal friend.

"Come in, Kakashi. Sorry the home is such a mess," Raidou gestured Kakashi entrance. He nodded gratefully and stepped inside. Kakashi found himself a seat on the couch in the living room.

"Is something wrong?" Kakashi asked, obviously knowing the answer to that already.

"Well, Kakashi, yes." Raidou sat down next to Kakashi, lifting his hands to rub his own forehead. "Genma is…heartbroken. I think. He hardly eats or drinks. He doesn't speak. Since Hayate's death neither of us have been the same…" Raidou tried not to choke on his words. It didn't matter. He knew he wouldn't cry. "I need to let out all this stress…but I can't. I can't cry. I can only get angry. Genma stays in bed ALL day. I can't get him up. I give him food all the time but he hardly eats. I've been staying up late trying to get myself together. I find myself breaking more than just glasses every day. I try to relieve my anger with physical aggressive-ness at our training spot, but it hardly does anything to help me…" Raidou covered his face with his hands and leaned back.

"…I didn't realize it was this bad, Raidou… I'm sorry," Kakashi said. He would not tell Iruka. Iruka would throw a fit and freak out.

Raidou jumped suddenly. "Oh please, don't tell Iruka… He'd DIE if he found out about this…" Raidou wanted to cry so badly. Why wasn't he? Where were his tears? Did they die just like Yondaime did? Kakashi agreed not to, and he wouldn't.

Kakashi left not too long after that. They talked only a little. Kakashi couldn't really do anything to make Raidou feel better. He decided time would have to heal them. Nothing he could do.

That hurt Raidou.

Raidou sat down next to Genma who was sitting up against the headboard.

"Genma, do you remember how it was when Hayate wasn't around for us even when we needed him most? We survived then. It was painful, but we did. And now, even though he's gone for good…" Raidou trailed off for a moment, trying to collect himself.

"Genma, Hayate will always watch over us and protect us and love us. He died protecting the village and those he loved. That beastly Sand nin will get what he deserves… Genma, I don't want you to be upset anymore…" His eyes were growing dim and glassy. He rubbed his forehead with one hand and began to rock a little on the bed. He sniffled a little and then looked up at Genma. He was giving him a strange look, and he didn't know what it meant. "Genma I love you… I don't want this to hurt you so badly…please just go back to normal again… How do you think Hayate feels right now? He's probably going to die inside if we keep going on like this… We need to move on… I know it hurts…"

A single tear. Genma gasped. He reached out for Raidou.

Raidou never felt better. It was only a little, but it was enough to satisfy him. He didn't know where it came from, but Genma's deadness only made him feel worse. Genma began to sob as he held his lover.

"Raidou I can't believe…you're crying…" he managed to say. Raidou did not want to lose another. So much. Lost.

Genma seemed to be getting better but the nightmares did not cease. There was nothing Raidou could do for him. Raidou couldn't cry again. He wasn't finished. He needed more. More release. They did not make love to relieve their stress. That would not help them, and they knew it. Kakashi dropped by more often, glad that they were slowly recovering. Genma would eat now and Raidou stopped breaking things. Genma tried not to cry so much because he knew Raidou was still having trouble… He figured it had to do with Yondaime but he didn't want to bring him up… But what else could he do?

Genma and Raidou sat in the woods. Both sitting on a stump. They were at their training spot. But they weren't training. Just talking and reflecting. Talking about their past, what had been happening. All of it. Raidou no longer wished to leave the village. Genma didn't want to hear another word of it. He was getting better and that's all that mattered, besides Raidou getting better. They still weren't in their greatest condition. Tsunade-sama knew of their situation. She didn't need anyone to tell her to figure out what was going on. With their absence of the funeral, it was quite obvious. She knew something had been going on with the three, but then it only became more clear as time went on without Hayate. She did not take Genma off of the Chuunin job, though. He was the only one that could do it. Most observant, he was. She needed him. The village did.

"Raidou… Are you still upset about the death of Yondaime?"

Oh jeez, I know I just totally messed up. Tsunade isn't even considered to be the 5th Hokage yet. 3rd Hokage isn't even dead yet. D: I'm sorry for the screw up but I messed up earlier in the story, too, and I just don't feel like fixing it…

Also…I'm not proud of this chapter. I'm becoming lazier. Maybe some of you will enjoy it, but I feel like it turned to crap. It took me a lot of effort to start writing this again. XD I'm starting another story, too. If you play Everquest Frontiers, you might enjoy it. Also starting a fanfiction about Magna Carta: Tears of Blood, a new PS2 game. Haven't started it yet…

Sorry for the disappointment, if there was any.