Yo. So I'm ready to lay my pimp hand down and mack this chapter. Sorry for the delay, but pimpin' ain't easy.

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"This will only take a moment, sir," muttered an overworked looking airport worker, cleaning Rei's bare arm with antiseptic. She then pulled a packaged needle from a box by her side. The woman quickly pushed the needle in, handed Rei a receipt (to prove he had gotten the shot), and waved Rei through to the terminal. "Next," she cried hoarsely.

Rubbing his arm, Rei made his way to his seat. The old lady he was sitting next to was reading a romance novel (or at least it looked like one, but it was written in Russian so he couldn't be sure) quite happily, and smiled cheerfully at Rei as he sat down before quickly going back to her book. Settling into his seat, he tried to doze for a bit, but he was for too anxious to even rest. He decided to listen to the radio on his phone.(1)

"This is Jazzy-Faye laying down the tunes! In just a minute we'll- Oh, wait a minute people! We've recently received more information about the mysterious virus sweeping Russia, now dubbed virus R15. We now know it's a kind of offshoot of malaria, causing fever, shivering, joint pain, anemia, and convulsions. The main difference is how long it lasts; it doesn't last long in the body, but once the damage is done, it's much harder to recover from. Many aren't up to it, and are suffering additional health problems as a result. Keeping the public informed, this has been Jazzy-Faye. Coming up next is 'Random' by Lady Sovereign-" The neko-jin clicked off his phone, and decided to listen to the sound of his fellow passengers snoring, coughing, and sneezing instead. He closed his eyes and let this all sink in. "Oh, Kami,"(2) he breathed shakily, tightly gripping the armrest. He blanked his mind the best he could and slipped into an uneasy dose. He dreamed he and Kai were at a waterfall, surrounded by clear sparkling water and lush plants. They both jumped in, laughing, but Kai was taking too long to come back up, and Rei was beginning to worry…

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"Eat this, shut up, and don't move. Understand?" Liang gave Rei an innocent look while gnawing quietly on the beef jerky. The raven haired young man had gone through what seemed like every hotel in Moscow, but they had all refused to host pets. So this time, Rei had simply decided to hide the tabby in his shoulder bag and just not tell them. "Dobre den,"(3) greeted the receptionist. Rei nodded at him and proceeded to register for a room. All was going well until the key was being handed over. A muffled sneeze sounded from his bag. The receptionist looked up, and looked at the neko-jin questioningly. Desperately not wanting to get caught, he gave a few fake sneezes and then laughed sheepishly. The receptionist shrugged and pulled out some paperwork.

After dumping his stuff in the room, he quickly rushed out of the hotel and flagged down a taxi. "St. Mary's hospital, please," he asked the driver. On his way there, he found himself slipping Liang another piece of beef jerky and absently petting her (she was once again in his shoulder bag, he couldn't leave her in the hotel room). What condition would Kai be in, he wondered. How long before he got better? What happens after that?

Pushing such thoughts from his mind, he examined his reflection in the window. He looked tired, with bags beginning to develop under his eyes, and his usually meticulously neat hair was windswept and escaping his low ponytail. He peeked at Liang, who was happily chewing the beef jerky inside his bag. "Well," he said, smiling gently, "At least you look nice."

When they arrived, the raven haired young man felt an almost overwhelming wave of doubt. What was he doing here? Kai didn't want to see him, especially not like this. However, he reminded himself that he had to, because like it or not, he cared for Kai, and there was still too much to settle with him to not see him again. So he walked in, breathe misting in the icy chill.

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To say the hospital was packed was an understatement. People were everywhere, asking if the hospital had this person or that person, how were they and the like. Even though the staff was doing its best, it couldn't do enough. Looking frantically for a way to get out of the chaos and to Kai, he spotted a desk worker trying to sneak away to a staff lounge. Stealthily, he slid behind the poor guy. "Hello, sir-"
"AHHH!" he yelped. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Can you direct me to Dr.Portov?" The desk worker let out a shaky breath and slumped against the wall.

"Fifth floor, second ward. Ann, the lady at the desk, she'll point you to him."

"Thanks, man," Rei murmured, turning and swiftly maneuvering out of the crowd.

Strangely enough, there weren't many people on the elevators. Rei found himself alone with Liang in the lift, the smell of wood polish and disinfectant in the air. No elevator music. Sighing, he put his head in his hands. "What am I doing, Liang?" he whispered. The green eyed cat briefly stuck her head out and gave a sleepy purr before resuming her previous position, presumably napping. The neko-jin smiled lightly, and lifted his head up as the doors opened to the fifth floor. He walked down the hall and turned a corner to run into a brown eyed, red headed nurse with a clipboard. "Excuse me," he began, "I'm looking for a Ms.Ann, could you-"

"Well, you found her. What can I do for you, sir?"

"Can you direct me to Dr. Portov? Or better yet, a patient named Kai Hiwatari?"

"Sure can. Are you a friend, or family of his?"

Rei hesitated, before settling for friend; she didn't need to know everything.

"Right this way, sir."

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The raven haired young man followed the nurse, and although he didn't show it, he was about two seconds away from a major panic attack. He was on the verge of passing out when nurse Ann stopped at a door. "Here he is," she said, "But please refrain from doing anything to upset him. He's in a very delicate state right now. Visiting hours end at-"

"About that," Rei interrupted, "He doesn't have any family, but I think he needs someone here for him, so if you could maybe..." He trailed off, his eyes pleading. Nurse Ann smiled. "Of course," she replied, voice gentle, "He needs all the support he can get. Truth be told, there's too much ruckus down there for us to even enforce visiting hours anyway. Goodnight, sir." She walked away briskly, flipping through the papers on her clipboard. From the look on her face, Rei had a feeling she knew he considered Kai more than just a friend…

He let out an easy chuckle and rested his amber eyes upon the door. 'Kai Hiwatari' was written in untidy doctors' scrawl on the clipboard that hung above the doorknob. Strangely calm now, he turned the handle, stepped inside, and closed it behind him.

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He was sleeping. Dark blue triangles contrasted boldly his ashen white face, which harbored a peaceful expression. It made Rei uneasy. His hair was shorter than what it had been, but just as messy. The neko-jin, whose hair had grown past his knees, thought it fit him quite nicely. It seemed he now sported a few piercings as well, two silver studs above his left eyebrow, and a dark grey loop around his right auricle.

Laid out on the hospital bed, Kai was connected to various machines, all of them rather intimidating to the amber eyed youth. He sat down in the recliner next to the bed and watched the slate haired man, musing about what he should do. Suddenly the door opened, interrupting his reverie. "Dr.Portov," Rei greeted quietly. ""Mr.Kon," he said. "He's woken up before, a few times actually. He's got a much better chance of full recovery than most other patients. It seems he's quite a fan of diet and exercise." Rei smirked.

"Oh, you don't know the half of it," he murmured, recalling his former captain's grueling training schedule.

"Either way," the doctor continued, "It's certainly paying off. If all goes well, he should be able to go home in a few weeks. He'll just need someone around to help out, he'll need to take it easy. Goodnight, Mr.Kon."

"Good night, doctor." The man shuffled quietly out of the room, leaving Rei with a sleeping cat and a sleeping Kai.

The neko-jin got up from the chair leaving leaving his bag (with Liang inside) on the chair. Carefully, not touching any of the tubes or wires, he tentatively reached forward and rested his hand on Kai's forehead. He gently smoothed the Russian's bangs out of his face, mesmerized by the feel of his skin and the softness of his hair.

"Wake up Kai," he whispered, "Wake up, because I don't want to be confused anymore. I'm so tired of doubting you. Please, Kai," he sighed, now suddenly bone weary, "Wake up already."

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Oh yeah! I did it! Go me! Woot woot! Review, 'cause you know I love it!

1-My sister's phone doubles as a radio. I'm jealous.

2-Saying 'Oh, Kami,' is like saying 'Oh, God'

3-Dobre den is Russian for good afternoon. Please let me know if I'm wrong!