By the time they got to the apartment, Watari's smile had returned to its proper place, and the man plopped down onto Tatumi's couch and turned the tv on. The show was just starting. Tatsumi stood at his dorrway, unsure if he should enter, but when he did, his first stop wasn't the living room. He rounded the corner and disappeared into the kitchen. If this was a special night for soaps, Tatsumi would need a lot of coffee.

Knowing his friend's schedule when it came to movie nights or so forth, Tatsumi arrived in the living room with a soda and popcorn for his friend. Then, he went back for his coffee and sat down on the far end of the couch. The show went on, and Watari's emotions changed with every scene. First, Watari would be mad, and then sad, and during one part, he had an eyebrow raised. He couldn't get what was going on.

"Tatsumi, what does that mean?"

"How should I know?"

Things went on like that for a while, until a dramatic scene came on. It was in the hospital. A young girl was in bandages on the bed, in a coma, and the intensity of the moment struck a chord in Watari. He had tears in his eyes and was practically bawling. Tatsumi wasn't even phased.

"Oh, no… she may never come out of that coma! Tatsumi, do you think she'll ever ocme out of it?"

"Maybe, maybe not." He said, not even caring.

"You're so mean…!"

"No, I'm realistic. This is only pretend, remember."

"But it seems so real! Hug me, Tatsumi!"

But as Watari lunged forewords, Tatsumi stood up. Watari landed on his face in the couch cushion and Tatsumi calmly walked back to the kitchen. When he came back, however, the scene had changed on the television, but Watari's face retained the same sad look he had worn in his lab that evening. The girl had apparently awoken from her coma, (as if he cared), but Watari looked so sad, as if it weren't just a show. Watari had the look of a man who had just lost someone special. The show ended, and Tatsumi was still staring at Watari, whose expression hadn't changed. Slowly, Tatsumi rounded the couch and sat by his friend.

"Watari? Hey…"

He set his hand on the blonde's shoulder, but when he looked at him, Tatsumi wished he hadn't. Watari's eyes were red and almost puffy. His glasses didn't sit strait on his nose and soon, a tear rolled down the slender cheek.

"Yutaka…"

Watari snapped out of it, and niffled as he tried to wipe the evidence of the tear away.

"I'm sorry, Tatsumi… the show is over now, so I'll leave you in peace…"

Watari stood up, but Tatsumi's hand on his wrist stopped him and pulled him back onto the couch. Watari refused to meet his gaze, but Tatsumi still ouldn't let him go.

"Yutaka, what is wrong? You've had that sorrowful look upon your face all week."

"It's nothing…"

"Nothing wouldn't make you cry like this…"

Tatsumi reached up and moved a strand of curvy hair out of the man's face and wiped away another tear.

"Tell me what's wrong."

"…The girl… in the coma…"

"You're saying this is all about some show? Yutaka, I told you. This isn't real."

"Real…"

"Why do you watch sad soap operas if it makes you so sad?"

"I suppose… more than liking them… I'm used to them."

"What do you mean?"

"My life was a soap opera, Tatsumi…"

This time, Watari wasn't trying to hold back his tears. He just let it all out, and Tatsumi pulled Watari close.

"Shh… tell me…"

"A girl…"

"What about her?"

"When I was alive, I was still a scientist… but I wanted more. It took so long to invent something, and I couldn't affect actual change…"

"So you started to become a physician, correct?"

Watari weakly nodded his head, not moving away from his friend.

"When I was a med student, I was also helping out at a hospital… It was a normal day, and when I was walking by the child health care corridor… I heard someone crying. I went to where it was coming from… but when I got there, I found a little girl."

"I see… Go on."

"She was crying… because she was in pain. She had a bad heart, Tatsumi; a very bad heart! She had to get a transplant…but she was scared!"

"A heart transplant is a scary thing… What happened next?"

"I talked to her… she told me that her parents were killed in an accident just after sh was born, and it was only her and her brother left. But, he wasn't able to be there when she had to get the transplant! She was scared…"

Watari sniffled again, and finally sat up. His hair was a mess, and so was the rest of him. Tatsumi wanted him to stop, but he needed to talk.

"What happened, Yutaka?"

"…Somehow, I felt bonded with this girl… we talked and she hugged me… I was hooked after that, Tatsumi…! While her brother coldn't be there, I volunteered… I held her tiny hand the whole time..! She was shaking as she slept… She was in pain! She much pain…!"

"She didn't go into a coma, did she?"

"No… even worse! …She survived… She was doing just fine… her heart wasn't reacting negatively, and she was due to leave the hospital. And then, as her bother came to take her to the car… she hugged me. I adored that little girl and her strength… She was strong because I was there…"

"…"

"I watched them go, Tatsumi. I watched them get into the car and she waved as they drove off, and then…"

Watari was breaking down again.

"Yutaka…"

"W-when they were going down the next street, a car went strait at them, and hit the car on the passenger side. Time moved in slow motion… I couldn't breathe…! When my feet would move, I ran to the scene… God, there was so much blood…! Both of them died right there… That little girl's eyes were wide open and staring at me… and her little hand was reaching out to mine…"

Tatsumi had no idea, and so he didn't know how to comfort his friend. So, he did the only thing he could do. He reached out and pulled Watari to him again, and held him tightly. They stayed like that the entire night, just talking and crying and comforting.