Disclaimer: See chapter 1. ARRRGH! My damn muses won't leave me alone! For those of you eagerly awaiting The Seven Sorrows, I am sorry to inform you that it will be a bit longer thanks to the wonderful reality of life. I am really sorry for the delay. Hopefully this will tide you over for now.

Hitomi finally zoomed into the nearest hospital's parking lot. They stopped. Hayate kicked the door open, but halted when he heard the audible click of a gun behind them several yards. Two police cars and three cops. All were aiming their guns at the group. "Put your hands on your head! Now!" One barked. Hayate turned around. He had had enough. He exploded into a fit of rage.

"My best friend is fucking dying, and you want me to put my hands on my head! I don't fucking think so! So you can take your goddamn pathetic order and shove it up your ass!" Hayate turned back around and ran up the ramp. Then turned around when he got to the door. "Oh, I forgot. FUCK YOU!" he yelled the last part. He turned around and bolted inside the hospital, not caring whether or not they followed him or not.

The three police officers pointed their guns at the rest of the group. Not one of them flinched. "Look okay. Hayate was telling the truth. His best friend, Ryu, has fallen off the edge of a building, and he's hurt really bad. Hayate is a bit hysterical right now." Kasumi said. Everybody looked at her. The fighter's with awe, because she hadn't said Niisan or san in the entirety of the whole sentence, and the police officer's trust, because she didn't seem the type to tell lies.

"Okay ma'am. Now, who was the driver of the van?" the middle officer asked. Hitomi nervously stepped forward. "Umm...I was, but you see I was driving Hayate here, and I didn't want Hayabusa to die!" Hitomi babbled then promptly started to cry, because she thought she was going to go to jail.

"Ma'am." Hitomi looked up. "Your obviously upset. We aren't gonna arrest you." "Just be careful next time ok?" Hitomi nodded. A couple of questions later, and the police officers left. "Suckers!" Hitomi said and rushed inside, leaving everybody else dumbfounded. "Did that just happen?" Ayane asked. "It seems...that Hitomi should become an actress." Helena said. Then they remembered Ryu, and dashed inside.

Hayate was leaning against the glass. He had his undivided attention focused solely on the unconscious form of his best friend. That was when he heard the most terrible sound in the world: the shrill ring of the heart monitor.

"Ryu!" "Fight damn it!" Hayate yelled and willed Ryu not to give in to the pain. "Clear!" A doctor barked. Hayate saw them shock Ryu, but his lifeless body just got jostled slightly by the electricity. "NO!" Hayate screamed in total shock. His knees buckeled, and he found himself on the floor. He sobbed. He had just lost Ryu.

He felt gentle hands place them in his own. He looked up, and saw his younger sister, Kasumi, kneeling before him, tears running down her face. "It's okay Niisan. Everything will be------" Kasumi was cut off by the ecstatic shout of the doctor. "Yes! He's back! We got him back!" Hayate leapt to his feet and looked through the plexi-glass again.

Hayate did the only thing he could do at that particular moment: He laughed. He cried. He jumped with joy. His best friend wasn't as dead as he presumed he was.

(Ryu's POV)

I saw rather then felt the darkness around me. I couldn't see a damn thing! Was I dead? There was no light at the end of the tunnel thing, just pain. And it hurt like hell. Did I just get run over by a semi that ran over me and backed up again? I couldn't move anything. It was like my brain didn't have any control over my body; and in essence it probably didn't. "Clear!" What the hell? Clear what? That was when a bolt of hot sizzling electricity jostled my body. 'What the fuck was that for? Damn it! Are you people trying to kill me?' I thought. That was when I vaguely heard someone cheering. Was there a party or something? My fuzzy brain couldn't decipher much between reality and what my mind made up. It was then that I drifted off into unconscious once again.

The others came in the room, and saw Hayate laughing and jumping with joy. He turned to them.

"He made it! He made it!" He yelled completely happy. His eyes shone with tears and happiness.

He then picked up Kasumi who was right beside him, and swung her around in several circles. Ayane looked on in disgust. Why did Kasumi get to have everything? It just wasn't fair.

"Well, of course he was going to make it. He's the bloody damn Super Ninja." Ayane muttered. Hayate heard her and put down Kasumi gently. "Ayane, quit acting like a damn bitch already" He growled. The others looked between both brother and half-sister. "Guys, please don't fight," Kasumi said looking anxiously between the pair. Ayane looked at her in disgust and hate. "Shut up, you stupid pampered princess." "Ayane! Enough!" "Or what?" She said looking at Hayate with contempt. Hayate again, exploded. He threw his fist and it hit Ayane right in her jaw, sending her to the floor. "I said enough." His tone icy. Ayane rubbed her cheek. "Go to hell," she said getting up and leaving the room. "Niisan! You didn't have to hit her!" Kasumi exclaimed. Even though Ayane hated her, Kasumi still loved her as a sister. Hayate turned to Kasumi, and his icy gaze softened. "She wouldn't have shut up otherwise." Kasumi stayed silent as she watched her brother rub his temples and sit in an unvacant hospital chair. The others privately agreed.

A nurse noticed them and walked over. "Hello, may I help you with anything?" Hayate looked up from his position. "Yes, please could you keep us updated on Ryu Hayabusa's condition?" "Who is he?" "He was just brought in.." "Oh, the patient in the ER. Yes, dear I can do that for you." She smiled kindly and left the big group of fighters in the lobby.

Doctors and nurses rushed around, papers flying everywhere. It was quite some time before any news arrived on Hayate's best friend.

The door to the private waiting room that the fighter's were in, opened and in came a doctor. He had slightly black graying hair, and deep, kind blue eyes. "Are you all here for Ryu Hayabusa?" he asked surveying the lot. They looked like people you didn't want to mess with. How right he was.

Hayate immediately jumped from his seat and greeted the doctor. "Well, As you know he took a really nasty fall. He has a severe head injury. There is swelling in his brain, so he is in a medically induced coma." "Coma?" Kasumi asked. "Yes, a coma is the body's way of healing." "He also has some lacerations to his face, which the plastic surgeon should heal up nicely. He has a broken arm, which is splint and setted already. He had some major rib damage. It appears that his rib had pierced his lung. He's really lucky to have survived that fall." Hayate nodded numbly. "Can I see him?" The doctor nodded. "Although one at a time I'm afraid. His body needs to heal, and he cannot do that with distractions. His room is 1013." The doctor left.

"Niisan, you should go first." Hayate looked slightly surprised. "Go on E—Hayate." Hitomi said giving him a small smile. "Are you guys sure?" He didn't want to go first when other people wanted to, but then again he really wanted to see him. "We're sure, now go on." Kasumi smiled softly at her older brother. Hayate threw open the door and ran full speed up the stairs.

When he got to the tenth floor, he was winded pretty good. Catching his breath, Hayate walked toward room 1013. The door was closed. Should he go in? The doctor did say that he could. Steeling himself for the worse. Hayate opened the door and stepped inside.

He smothered a gasp with his hand, for fear of disturbing him. Ryu was hooked up to all kinds of machines. A heart monitor, a breathing tube, and, many others Hayate didn't know the functions of. He looked his friend over. Gods...he seemed so small and frail...

Hayate wasn't used to seeing his friend like that. He was used to seeing Ryu leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and his emerald green eyes closed. Not like this. Not...not small...and little...and frail looking. This couldn't possibly be Ryu Hayabusa. The Super Ninja. His best friend. Yet, one look at his long golden brown hair, told Hayate all he needed to know. He really was looking at Ryu.

Hayate then at in the chair that was conveniently placed beside Ryu's bed. He hesitantly took his friend's hand into his own. It was slightly cold to the touch. Hayate then froze. What was he supposed to say? Could Ryu even hear him? He decided that he really didn't care right now. He just wanted Ryu to know how scared he was for him.

"Ryu...you scared me today. My God...I thought that I lost you. Don't you ever do that to me ever again. You hear me?" Hayate sighed heavily. "You...you just had to sit on the damn edge didn't you?" Hayate was vaguely aware that were tears running amok down his cheeks.

"I saw it...I saw the whole thing...I saw someone shove you off. I swear to you I will find out who did this to you Ryu...I swear this to you right here and now." Hayate said conviction evident in his tone of voice and determination shined in his eyes. "You...take care now Ryu." He then placed a hesitant kiss on his forehead. Ryu never moved. Hayate sighed and looked at Ryu one last time before leaving the room and heading back downstairs.

The other competitors looked up as they saw a ragged-looking Hayate enter the room.

He crossed the room in several strides, and sat down in the same chair he got out of previously. Hayate looked worn out. Both physically and mentally.

"Was he okay Niisan?" Kasumi asked warily. Hayate didn't look so good. "He didn't even move." they all heard him mutter. "Niisan, you don't look so good." "I'm fine," he snapped. Kasumi looked like she just got slapped in the face. Hayate softened. "I'm sorry Kas. But I...I dunno." he muttered the last part.

"There's a couch over there. You go on ahead and sleep." Hayate looked up at his little sister. "But what if----" Knowing exactly what he wanted to say, Kasumi interrupted him. "If we hear anything about him, we'll wake you and tell you."

Hayate mulled it over. He could get some much needed sleep. He felt like he ran one-hundred miles without sleep. He was dog tired. If someone came in with news about Ryu, he would automatically get woken up and told about it. All in all, it sounded like a good plan to him.

He nodded and trudged slowly over to the couch. Hitomi and Leifang got up so he could lay down. He slept for several hours, before a doctor came in...

Hitomi gently shook Hayate's shoulder. "What?" he asked sleepily. "The doctor's here." Abruptly sitting up and scaring the daylights out of Hitomi, Hayate asked: "Is everything okay?" It was the same doctor as before. "I don't know how I can put this..." he muttered. Hayate's inside froze. His blood ran cold. Did something happen to Ryu? Before he could speak, Kasumi voiced his question.

The doctor sighed. "Well...I'm afraid Mr. Hayabusa doesn't remember who he is." "What?" Hayate asked numbly. "I'm afraid that Mr. Hayabusa has amnesia."

AN: Cliffy! Bet you guys hate me now! Lol.