AN: Sorry about the post then delete! I had two versions of where to go with the story and I put up the wrong chapter. I'm so ashamed of myself right now, I'm so sorry! This is the right one!

Chapter Two: Tears

Haruko opened his eyes to the now familiar sounds and smells of the hospital. It was now November, two months since he had been diagnosed with leukemia. He sat in the hospital bed straining to concentrate on his school work in a weakened state from chemo and radiation treatments. He was always tired but knew that if he didn't force himself to work, he would fail a grade, something he didn't want to do.

But he knew that he wasn't the only one under pressure. His father, Kurama, was putting in long hours at the nursery but despite that, he always found time to see Haruko. Even Botan seemed older somehow since she had passed out the day the doctor told her what was wrong. Her expression was strained all the time as if she were trying to be happy for her son's sake.

Everyone seemed to know about his illness. Half the students from his school had come to see him and he didn't know who half of them were.

His friends even came over to the hospital almost everyday with his hand bells so he could still practice 'Carol of the Bells' and help them plan the school's Christmas program. He admitted to himself that even though he was weak and tired from treatment, he had to participate. After all, his solo on the bells opened up the program before any one spoke. It was his dream to be able to play alone in the front of the school.

A soft knock on the door sounded through his room.

"Come in," he called weakly.

Amarante's head appeared in the doorway brightening Haruko's expression. Even though neither wanted to admit it to themselves, they both cared deeply for each other. "Hi, Haruko. Are you feeling all right?"

Haruko nodded his white head (his hair had fallen out from the chemo) in response. "I'm feeling stronger so I should be able to get out before the end of next week. Come on in and keep me company for a while. They don't want me leaving my room but at the same time they want me to be constantly sitting with someone. I wish they would let me out. It's not like I can't walk."

Amarante giggled nervously. "I suppose so." She paused as if in thought then brightened. "I'll be right back," she said and she ran out of the room.

She came back a few minutes later with a nurse. "Guess what!" Amarante exclaimed, "The nurse here said you could go to the small garden in the back if I went with you."

Haruko's smile lit the room as the nurse helped him dress. Amarante looked away embarrassed blushing slightly at standing there watching him change his clothes. He held a bag at his side that held his IV. He glanced at her than asked gently, "Ready to go?"

She opened the door for him and they began to walk down the hallway when Haruko fell forward suddenly. Amarante acted quickly and caught him. "You're not strong enough to walk on your own. Let's go back to your room."

Haruko shook his head in defiance and stood up straight again. "No, I need to get outside again."

Amarante put her arm around her friend's shoulders. "Then lean on me."

"Thank you," the boy replied contented he had indeed found a friend. "By the way, how are you doing in science?"

Amarante's head picked up at the mention of the subject. "Not great if that's what you mean."

"Good. We'll have something to talk about for a while because if you don't ace the next test, you won't be able to be the lead angel in the program." Under his breath, he added, "The prettiest angel at that."

Unknown to Haruko, Amarante's sensitive ears picked up the compliment he had paid her and she blushed.

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Later that evening, after Amarante left for home, Kurama and Botan came in to see their son and were shocked when he asked them if he could go back to school and home in a few days.

"Don't you think it's a little too soon, son?" Kurama asked his son.

He shook his head vigorously. "No, I don't think so. Sure, the doctors might force me to be in wheelchair but the school is only a few blocks away. I miss going."

Botan and Kurama looked at each other then back at Haruko. "We'll talk to the doctor," his mother said before looking out the window with a distant look in her eyes.

"Are you feeling all right, mother?" Haruko asked softly.

Botan turned her head back toward him and smiled softly. "Yes, dear. I'm fine." Tears welled up in her eyes and ran down her cheeks as she threw her arms around her son and held him close to her chest. Silent sobs wracked her body as Haruko returned her hug. Kurama rose from his seat and put his strong arms around his family. They there for several minutes until Botan broke the silence.

"I'm sorry. I just don't want to lose my baby."

Haruko embraced her again. "It's ok, mom. You won't lose me. I'm going to fight and get well again."

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Later that evening, Botan sat on hers and Kurama's bed holding a throw pillow to her bosom with tears in her eyes once more. Even though she had showered and changed into her white flannel gown, her face still had marks of crying. Kurama came out of the bathroom with a towel around his neck and dressed in white pajama pants. Seeing his wife in such a depressed state, he went over and wrapped his strong arms around her as if protecting her and held her close to him. He let her cry.

"Oh, Kurama, do we tell him what the doctors told us? What if it's true? What if it's true that he only has a couple months to live? They even said he might not even make it to Christmas! All his hopes and wishes are going to mean nothing. The doctors still won't tell him. We're lying to the boy. He's our only son. I don't want to lose him."

"Shhhhh," Kurama comforted her. "Haruko's a strong boy so he's not going to go down that easily. Remember when we worried ourselves over my mother when she had cancer? She recovered, didn't she? Haruko's like me. He has a pretty keen sense of what's going to happen. I say we let him go back to school for a day and then if he does get worse, decide what to do. I don't feel any happier about lying to him then you do."

Botan nodded her against his shoulder as he continued. "Besides, he takes after his father. Don't you think he's going to be strong?"

Botan suppressed a giggle as she playfully threw her pillow at him. "Oh, Kurama…" she muttered.

"Don't 'Oh, Kurama,' me, Botan," he replied huskily. "You know what happens when you do that…" he reached out and running his fingertips against Botan's neck making her shiver in delight. He continued to run his hand up the base of her neck and into her hair while his other hand caught her soft, delicate face in his hand. He tipped her face toward hers and gazed into her amethyst eyes. "I love you so much," he whispered as he caught her lips with his own.

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A few days later, Haruko declared to the nurses that he was strong enough to go to school that day and argued with them and his doctor until they allowed him to go. He had to have a chaperone pushing him in a wheelchair, but as long as he was at school, he was fine.

He wasn't expecting a mob of students to pounce on his presence after the last bell rang.

"Haruko, what are you doing here?" a high-pitched female voice exclaimed.

He recognized the voice as Amarante's and called out a response. "I convinced the doctors and nurses to let me come back. But as you can tell, I had to agree to this first."

"Haruko, are you coming to rehearsal?" his friend Seiko asked.

"You bet I am."

They made their way into the orchestra room and assembled as had been planned. The choir (all dressed as angels) climbed into the choir loft, the instrumentalists (with some extra people from the high school) with solos seated themselves beside the choir while the rest went to the orchestra pit.

"Now Haruko, I know it's been a while since you were here but if you need to stop or go back to the hospital, let me know and you can be dismissed," the choir director Ayame told him.

"Thank you, ma'am, I appreciate that," he responded.

Haruko looked at the hand bells in front of him and then turned his attention to Amarante who sat in the front of the choir. She glanced back and caught his gaze. Together, they gave each other a thumbs-up; he for her solo and her for his opening.

Ayame stood in front of the orchestra and choir with her hands in mid-air. "One, two, three," she exclaimed.

Haruko lifted the first two hand bells and struck them. Ding, ding, ding, ding, ring-ding-a-ling, ring-ding-a-ling… the bells filled the room with their crystal-clear notes as one by one the rest of orchestra joined in enthusiastically.

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That night, Haruko went home to where he lived instead of the hospital. How good it felt to be back in his bed once again. But as walked unsteadily from the kitchen to the bedroom, he felt himself falling.

Then darkness.

He woke up to the darkened shadows of his hospital room. He rolled over onto his side groaning and mentally kicking himself for trying to do so much in one day. He looked at his wrists and found the IV tubes taped to him. He reached over and rang the bell next to his bell and no more than a few moments later, one of the nurses came in.

"Excuse me," Haruko whispered, "can you tell me where my parents are?"

The nurse sighed. "We forced them to go home. They wanted to stay here with you until you woke up but the doctor told them they wouldn't be doing you any good if they didn't rest themselves. You understand, don't you dear?"

Haruko nodded his head in understanding before leaning his head against the comfort of his pillows and dozing off.

He woke up a couple hours later to the crack of thunder. He sat up in his bed then hesitantly placed his feet on the floor. Using the bed and walls for support, he ever so carefully walked to the window and looked out to where a thunderstorm was raging.

Howling wind tugged at the tree branches and lightning caused shadows to dance upon the walls all around him. Thousands of raindrops hammered on the roof and window where Haruko stood captivated.

He remembered thunderstorms from the time he was little. For some reason, he loved to watch little water droplets roll down the window panes tracing shapes and patterns. To him, storms were the way the sky cry cried. It fascinated him.

And as he gazed out into the swirling mass of nature's fury, he began thinking about this cancer he had. One day he would feel normal, the next he'd pass out. Though it was true that people did survive what he had, a majority died from it. Who was he to think that he as the exception and would survive?

He missed the everyday comforts of life. His father's proud smile, his mother's comforting embrace, the smell of flowers, the warm rays of the sun, waves lashing against the beaches, snow floating down and forming drifts, and thunderstorms were just a few of the natural things he loved.

What if he did die? What if he would never see anything or anyone he loved anymore? Every time he woke up in a bed after passing out, he wondered 'What if that had been the last time I ever saw anything?' He didn't want to die but even he had to admit to himself that he was scared.

And silently, slowly, a tear rolled down each of his cheeks mimicking the actions of the rain on the other side of the window pane.

AN: Guess what! You won't have to wait two months before another update! I wrote chapter 3 and the epilogue today so I will post them when I see fit. Please if you can leave a review. It thrilled my heart to see how well chapter one did I only hope this one will do better!