Author's Notes:

First- Let me apologize for taking so long to update. There's been a whole lot of personal stuff going on at home, but I finally managed to push through it. Yay team! Also, a HUGE overwhelming thank you to all my reviewers, you guys are amazing and you've really motivated me to keep writing, so thanks everyone! I'll get the review replies up by Sunday.

Second- I wanted to say that I realize that this story will have some pretty dark themes, but I just wanted it known that I neither endorse or encourage this kind of thing; specifically my references to Matt and Tai's self-injury. It isn't going to be the focus of the story, but it is an issue that they'll have to work through.

But you've all waited long enough, so without further ado, here's your update!

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stories

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"Are you serious?" Sora asked, leaning forward in her seat. In the front of the room Miyako blinked, pushing her glassesup the bridge ofher nose with a delicate finger. "Of course," she said simply, leaving the group to sit in stunned silence. Taking a look at the gaping faces around her, Miyako was really getting frustrated.

"Well I'm sure you've all noticed how..." she paused, searching for the right words, "...pointless your 'school' is."

Crossing his arms, Matt couldn't help rolling his eyes in agreement.

Every morning after breakfast, half of the patients were herded into group therapy and the other half to a state-required 'school.' It was pathetic really. The group usually wound up doing science based crossword puzzles while Mimi doodled on the newspaper and Jyou went to the shelves and rearranged the books into groups of eight.

With this in mind, Yamato couldn't keep the sliver of excitement from showing on his face. "So you mean it? We're gonna be getting out of here?" Daisuke was allbut bouncing off the walls, grinning from ear to ear.

"Well," the woman continued, resting her hands on her clipboard, "it will still be a hospital-run facility, but in essence, yes. Dr. Koushiro will begin evaluating each of you tomorrow. From there, all those considered both stable and well-behaved enough will be permitted to attend. Adolescent hospitals in both Tokyo and Osaka will be sending a few of their patients here to Kyoto. The facility is actually located just a few miles from here, but I'll save the details until those individuals are selected. Any questions?"

Tai and his group exchanged excited glances and beyond them, Yamato took a look at the other teens in the room, only half of whom were actually paying attention to what Miyako was saying.

"Alright then," she finished, standing and straightening her jacket. "Let's end group and you've got fifteen minutes of free time before visiting hours start."

No sooner did the woman leave, than the room erupted with excited chattering. Realizing that there was no chance they'd hear each other, Tai stood and motioned for his friends to follow, heading to the rec room. Yamato, eager to get away from the noise, was more than happy to join as the others followed him out.

It was a short walk, right across the hall, but seemed to stretch for an eternity, for the first time in a long while, he had something to be excited about.

Once inside, Daisuke hugged Ken hard, beaming excitedly andnearlyshouting "we're gonna get out of here!" as he laughed, kissing the boy in his arms and catching Ken entirely off guard. Beside him, the girls giggled, turning Ken's face the color of a tomato. Tai put a hand on the boy's back comfortingly, smiling at his brother's enthusiasm before Jyou interrupted.

"I hate to ruin the moment, but she did say that on a few of us can go."

The bubbling joy ceased almost immediately at Jyou's comment, and next to him, Sora nodded. "He's right," she added softly, a mixture of fear and concern in her voice. "We don't even know who's going to get picked."

Ken silently reached out, taking Daisuke's hand and locking their fingers together before speaking in a surprisingly forceful voice. "I'm not going without Dai." The brunette smiled tenderly, squeezing the boy's hand affectionately before looking back at the group with a confident grin. "And I'm not going if Mimi's not going."

The smile was contagious and Mimi laughed linking arms with the girl beside her. "Well I'm not going if Sora isn't," the girl looked up at Jyou, who was looking away distractedly. "I'm not going if Jyou isn't going." "I'm not if Tai's not." Yamato didn't even have to look to know that warm brown eyes sought him out, both comforting and reassuring.

"And I'm not going without Yamato."

Matt watched the boy in front of him, holding the other's gaze for just a moment longer than necessary.

"Then it's settled," Mimi declared sitting on the edge of a nearby table and leaning back on her hands, letting the group know that the tension had passed. Even Jyou had relaxed considerably, adjusting his glasses with one hand and sticking the other in his pocket. "Well from a behavioral stand point, we've got a fighting chance. None of us have dropped levels or been sent to isolation or anything." Sora nodded, plopping into the closest chair. "Either way, we'll just have to wait to find out, so we might as well just try to take it easy. Anyone up for a game of Connect Four?"

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Yamato had no idea what to make of his current situation. How did he wind up with these people?

Since his arrival at Kyoto Hospital three weeks earlier, his roommate seemed to have an immediate bond with him. In fact, Tai had more or less adopted the blond into his group of friends at day one, not that Matt was complaining. After all, there was only so much you could do all day, especially during visiting hours and free time, when all the other patients were otherwise occupied. It wasn't even that they did anything "fun," but there was a definite chemistry that Matt felt unconsciously drawn to.

Sitting in the day room, Matt rested his chin in his hand, looking out the window absently.

"Nerve wracking isn't it?"

The blond wasn't sure when exactly Ken had walked in, but he didn't bother to respond. When they had first met, Ken barely spoke a word whenever the he was around, but as time wore on, the two had grown more accustomed to each other, understanding the silences and slowly beginning to open up.

"Tai should be out in just a few minutes," he said softly, joining the boy on the couch. Matt shrugged it off with an apathetic "Hm."

Ken wasn't convinced.

The boy knew for a fact that Yamato was faking his lack of concern, though why exactly, was a mystery. The blond, on the other hand, had ripped his nails to the point where all ten where actually bleeding.

Tai had been in individual therapy for the past hour and Matt was about an inch away from losing his mind. He could just imagine Tai sitting there with an innocently oblivious look plastered on his face while Dr. Koushirou interrogated him in what was normally a half hour session at most. It was bothering him. In fact, it was bothering him so much that the blond could actually feel himself losing his composure, and it was getting obvious.

He couldn't stop drumming his fingers or tapping his foot restlessly. If Ken noticed, he said nothing; a detail Matt was silently grateful for.

"Ken?"

The dark haired boy looked up, surprised to hear Yamato's voice. "Yes?" "Why are you here?" The blond was still looking out the window, not bothering to turn around. "You already know that. I have PTSD." "Yeah, but what caused it?"

Ken sighed softly, tucking his knees up to his chest in a defensive position. He was quiet for a short time, as if trying to find the words to say. "I had an older brother," he said distantly, resting his chin in his hands. "When we were young, our uncle used to come over and watch us when our parents when out. He started hurting me when I six." Ken's voice was even and hollow, devoid of any real feeling. "One night when I was nine, he thought we were alone, but we weren't." He paused, exhaling shakily. "My brother walked in on him raping me, and he tried to force him away, to protect me. When he ran to call the police, my uncle caught him. I watched him die."

Ken sat perfectly still while he spoke, staring outside, unfocused and vacant. "My parents came home sometime later, after the police got there, but there was nothing they could do, and my uncle was already gone. I didn't speak for three and a half years afterwards."

"My parents were at their wits end, so they decided to move here to Kyoto, hoping that the change of scenery would help. But it didn't. They admitted me almost a year ago, and I've been here ever since."

Matt sat in silence, unsure of where to begin. When he'd asked, this definitely wasn't the answer he'd been expecting. "I'm sorry," he offered lamely, unable to even look at the other boy. "It's fine," he shrugged, "I was the one who suggested coming here anyway. Daisuke was admitted about two months before I was, so I decided to join him."

That was some serious devotion, Matt concluded, shifting to sit cross-legged in the chair.

"So Dai's parents sent him here too?" Ken shook his head, body visibly relaxing with the change of discussion. "No, Dai ran away during a manic period. He was trying to stop a subway train with his bare hands when the cops picked him up." Despite the seriousness of the topic, Matt couldn't help the smirk that tugged at the corner of his lips. The mental image was pretty ridiculous, and he felt a wave of relief to hear the other boy laugh lightly.

"So what're we laughing at?" The two turned to see the subject of their recent conversation walk in with Mimi, Sora, and Jyou closely behind, all sitting down to join them. Matt looked at the brunette with a quirked eyebrow.

"You tried to stop the subway?"

"Hey now," the boy laughed, "It's a long story."

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