-1A/N: Hey! Well I do so hope we all liked the cliffie! Thanks for your reviews guys, I'll get to replying to them shortly . Well surprise twist in this chapter! Please read and review, and remember to check out both Sorastalker08 and Scarlet Dreams' stuff! They're legendary!

He heard the beep of the machines, the hustle and bustle of the inner city emergency ward in the early hours of the morning. He faintly registered all of this, in the corners of his consciousness. His vision was blurred around the edges, and his legs seemed to be moving, a separate thing to his body. Hands were stroking the hair of his lover's limp form. His hands, he realised, as some of his consciousness returned to him. Tears slowly traced their way down his face, as he's pried away from Riku. From his Riku. He sat silently in a waiting chair as his love underwent emergency surgery. He faintly recognised the nurses who offered his food, drink or a bed. He shook his head, posture bowed, devoid of thought or any grasp on reality. His Riku…he was coming…coming back to make sure I was alright…he…he's hurt because of me…flash backs kept haunting his mind, as he thought again and again of how things could've been different. It's morning…he realised dully, as the light caressed his face. He noticed for the first time a soft white blanket had been placed over him. His back ached from being up all night, and his eyes felt as though they were about to fall out of his head. He felt slightly dizzy from crying, and his head throbbed from time to time. He got up, for the first time in hours, and his back twinged painfully. He walked over to a water dispenser and poured himself a glass. He sipped it hesitantly, moving back towards his seat. It was then that an auburn haired doctor approached him. Her stride was semi-authoritarian, her eyes a stormy grey. Her lips were lightly glossed with pink, and her smile was tired and sad. Sora flinched back, before forcing himself to face her.

"Hi…" she began softly, so softly he had trouble hearing her. Her voice reminded him of a country breeze, soft but dusty. Sora looked into her eyes, and he saw it. Something was wrong, something was so terribly wrong. He felt fresh tears make furrows through his tear stretched skin, as she eyes deepened with worry.

"What's wrong…? What's happened to my Riku!" he asked hoarsely, coughing throatily. He felt his fist clench in anger. He needed to know what was wrong.

"Sora…right?" she asked, with that same soft voice, avoiding the question. Sora nodded and took a step towards her.

"What's wrong with my Riku!" he demanded slowly. He was felt so tired, his nerves over stretched, he was beyond his normal limits and a part of him was afraid of what he was going to do.

"His condition is stable, Sora," she began, placing a reassuring hand on Sora's shoulder, which he quickly shrugged off. "but he suffered multiple blows to the chest, he has a few broken ribs and a fractured skull, and a couple of very serious wounds to the abdomen, he was very lucky none of the vital organs " she continued. So far so good, nothing that wouldn't stop Riku bouncing back. "He also had a lot of broken glass fall on him, Sora. There was a lot of trauma to the optic nerve…he can't see, and at this stage there's an almost 85 chance he wont regain his sight." she said sadly, her eyes showing nothing but sympathy for the poor boy. He choked slightly, before a strangled sob escaped his lips. The doctor placed the hand back on his shoulder and drew him into what she hoped was a comforting hug. She truly hated this part of the job.

"C…hiccough…can I see him? He asked hesitantly. He wanted to see his Riku, to hold him and kiss him and promise everything was going to be okay. But a part of him was terrified, because if he could see him, hold him, touch him, feel him, smell him…it would all become real. The doctor nodded and mentioned that he had to be careful and that he couldn't stay long. Sora nodded softly, before entering the room. And just like he knew it would, it all became real, so horribly horribly real.

"Oh god! Oh god…it's al my fault…I'm so sorry…oh my god…" he whispered, barely audible. There in front of him, lay Riku…or at least the shell that was once Riku. His eyes and head were bandaged up, just like of TV, his perfect face blemished with light crimson lines. His torso was bandaged up much like his head, and he was attached to multiple machines, all beeping softly and blinking at Sora…almost mocking in their lack of a sense of loss.

"Riku? Riku baby, it's me…Sora…are you…heh, stupid question…" he stuttered gently.

"S…Sora? Thank god you're okay…I…was worried." he said smiling slightly, pain evident with every breath. Sora felt the tears flowing down his face, as he moved to Riku's bedside, and held his hand gently.

"I'm so sorry…this…this is all my fault…Riku it's not fair…I love you…you're my world…I'm so sorry…"he said pitifully, as his tears splashed onto Riku's hand.

"Hey babe, don't cry it's not your fault! It's that arsehole who was drunk at the party…don't cry babe, I'm not dead…I've still got you….I've still got you, I have everything I need." he comforted, making Sora feel guiltier, he wasn't the one lying blind and battered in a hospital bed and Riku was the one comforting him. Sore leant down and kissed him gently, feeling Riku smile against his lips.

"I feel all better now…" he said teasingly. Sora smiled at this. The same doctor came in then, quietly knocking on the door.

"I'm sorry guys, but you, Mr. Hikari, need to sleep." she said, smiling lightly as she watched Sora kiss Riku goodbye. Sora leant in close and whispered into his ear, "Remember Riku, I love you more than anything, so don't you be going anywhere" before rising and walking out with the doctor.

"Is the risk of infection high?" he asked, he knew a little about hospitals, his mother had been a doctor herself, and he'd practically lived in the hospital while Kairi was sick…

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Flashback

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Sora's small 17 year old figure sat, holding a tiny hand in his. In the bed next to him lay a tiny girl, her skin sunken and pale, her eyes closed and breathing shallow. Her cheek bones were sharp against the thin sheet her skin had become, making her face look skeletal. He sat there, looking on with a look a strange mixture of faint hope and resignation, stroking her hand with his thumb. It had been three months since they'd discovered the cancer, and her condition had deteriorated severely in that time. Now she was fed mostly by an IV drip and shifted in and out of consciousness inconsistently. He knew, the doctors had told him, she was going to die. Riku walked in, brining something to eat with him. He handed Sora the food gently, telling him to eat. Sora forced down a little food, before setting aside the bowl. It had been like this for some time now, he came here every night after school, did his homework here, told Kairi about all her friends and the latest gossip, and watched sadly as the girl who was once renowned for her near boundless energy slowly faded away into nothing. She stirred slightly and Sora continued rubbing her knuckles comfortingly.

"I'm here baby…I'm here…"

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End Flashback

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"Moderate, if he doesn't contract anything within the next 24 hours, it's not likely he's going to get anything." she said, knowing that Sora needed this to access the situation, to come to terms.

"And his eyes, what will it mean if it does heal?" he asked, almost curious.

"Well there's a 15 chance the surgery has been a success and that the nerve will recover and continue as normal, it depends on the brain really...I don't fully understand it myself, but the surgeon said he'd seen cases like it before so I went with it, you know? What else could I do…such beautiful eyes…"she said, her own eyes clouding. "You know…life goes on…even if he does come out blind, it's not like he's gone…you'll have to see for him, okay, promise you will, okay?" she asked him, her own experience tainting her voice.

"Of course." Sora replied simply. There was a silence between them, not uncomfortable or friendly, just silence. Then Sora asked her quietly, "What happened to them?"

"Who?" she replied, avoiding the question, Sora pushed anyway,

"The person you were close too…were they blind?" he asked gently.

"Yeah…I worked with a patient a while ago, he was blinded in a freak accident at school, some chemical thing or another. School settled for close to four million, but of course he was devastated. I worked with him for months, I thought he was getting better, but it turns out he was just getting better at internalising it all. I found him one night, hanging from the ceiling. His note had…had thanked me, for letting him see a little longer." she finished, her eyes showing a still raw pain.

"I don't know what to say…" he said gently, his turn to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"You don't have to, just make sure…you let him see better than any of us…give him the world and then some." she said eloquently, eyes hardening with the determination she was giving to Sora.

"I will…I promise…"

A/N: DUN DUN DUH! Well there you go, it's not quite finished yet, I have a few more surprise twists in mind…Muah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Hey but don't assume by the evil laugh that they'll all be bad…I just have a few schemes .;

Anyway, please…

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