Guest: Thanks!

hiug: Thanks and I can't wait to see/write what happens either!

I don't own KHR.

As Ryohei and his other dear siblings got closer and closer to the cave, the pit of dread grew bigger and bigger in Ryohei's stomach. He extremely tried to stop it, he really did, but no matter how many times he told himself that Kyoya would be alive when they returned, Ryohei was faced with a stark reminder of the past.

The ten year-old had been eight when his precious little sister Kyoko lay dying of Leukemia on a white hospital bed. Even though everyone told him that she was going to die, Ryohei refused to accept that his sister wouldn't survive. As such, he did everything he could to help his sister, whether it was to press the red button to call the doctor, read stories to her, or just hold her hand.

Then one day, Kyoko expressed her wish that she could have some cake from her favorite cake shop. Ryohei, who happened to have his weekly allowance in his pocket, immediately declared that he was extremely going to buy a piece of cake for her, Leukemia be darned. Kyoko then gave him that bright smile of hers, and told him that she would be waiting patiently for him. Ryohei then raced off to the cake shop and after buying the special of the day, raced back to the hospital only to find that Kyoko hadn't waited for him. After a long time of battling Leukemia, Kyoko finally passed away with a peaceful smile on her face, which instead warming Ryohei's heart like usual, the smile broke it.

Hence why Ryohei was afraid of what he was going to find back at the cave. Kyoya just looked so frail, just like Kyoko did that fateful day. And while Ryohei still had hope that Kyoya was going to make it, he now knows that it wasn't wise to deny the possibility that everything won't work out. Which meant that Kyoya could very well be…dead and Ryohei would have missed being by his sibling's side at that crucial moment again. Ryohei extremely didn't want that to be the case. He actually wasn't sure if he could take it if it did.

"Ah, there it is," said Takeshi with a relieved smile, as he readjusted his plastic bread bag, which was full of berries. "I was actually beginning to wonder if we were lost or something." Ryohei looked up from the big pile of wood he was carrying and saw their home in the distance.

"Did you doubt that I didn't know where we were Takeshi?" asked Mukuro, an eyebrow raised while sounding slightly offended.

"Oh no," Takeshi assured him truthfully. "It's just that…treks back home have never been this long before."

"But we didn't travel that far," Mukuro pointed out, now sounding confused instead of offended.

"Takeshi, I think that it just seemed long because we didn't talk to each other as usual," Chrome explained softly as she readjusted her own bread bag full of berries. There was a moment of solemn silence after that. Ryohei sighed when he realized that his little sister was right.

Before, whenever they left the cave whether it was to go to town or to scavenge from the forest, he and his siblings would always talk, argue, and laugh with each other. But in this scavenger hunt, there was hardly any talking, let alone laughing or teasing. And Ryohei knew he wasn't the only one who knew the reason why.

"Haha, I guess so," Takeshi finally said with a fake smile, obviously an attempt to lighten the mood. Which worked…somewhat. Unfortunately, the threat that they were too close to losing one of their own was just too great to be eased by a simple laugh.

Then once again, Ryohei was brought out of his musings when they finally left the forest and entered the clearing where their home resided in. And once Takeshi and Chrome saw it, they took off towards the cave, their bags full of berries flying behind them as they ran. While Mukuro didn't run, he did walk a good bit faster than he did just a few minutes earlier.

As for Ryohei himself…if he had never promised himself that he will always do things to the extreme, there was a good chance he would actually be walking slower right now. But Ryohei was never one to back down so he walked as briskly as he could, despite the apprehension and dread he felt.

"Please Kyoya…please don't let me find you dead," Ryohei pleaded under his breath as he clenched his pile of wood tighter. "Please be alive, please stay alive, please get better…I…I don't want to lose another sibling…not again. So please. Stay alive to the extreme. Please."

Then finally, after what seemed like an extreme eternity to Ryohei, he entered the cave just before Mukuro did. And what he saw made his heart skip a beat and his blood froze. Ryohei barely noticed the clatter of Mukuro dropping his pile of wood as he stared at his two precious brothers before him. Hayato, who looked like he was seconds away from crying, was holding a very pale and still Kyoya tightly in his little arms.

"Hayato…Kyoya…he's not...he's alive right? You're just hugging him in an attempt to make him feel better…right?" Takeshi asked as he took a few steps forward to the duo, his voice quivering and desperate. Hayato then blinked as if he was confused and looked down at their older brother. Meanwhile, Ryohei's heart leapt to his throat as the memory of finding his parents sobbing over his sister's body ran through his mind. Did…did it really happen again? Did he really extremely fail being there for his sibling when they needed him the most again?

"Oh no, Kyoya's still alive," Hayato finally answered, comprehension lighting up his face. And like a wave on a sandy beach, relief washed over Ryohei, despite the fact that Kyoya was still in danger of dying. Because Ryohei was certain that Kyoya was still alive now, that he still had a chance to survive. Because if anyone can beat the flu, it would be his extreme brother. But then Hayato continued.

"But Tsuna's missing! I was taking a nap and when I woke up…he was gone! I'm sorry…I'm so sorry!" And while Hayato finally broke down and cried, all the relief Ryohei felt extremely left him.

And boom, there it is! See, I told you that this one was going to be longer. But...now what? What's going to happen next? Well, read on to find out! And please, PLEASE don't forget to leave a review! Really, they are like cookies to me and help me to improve my writing skills. Till next time, smile and never give up hope!