"Sohma, bow out. I've got the class, you've gotta talk to Tohru. She's waiting in the hallway, go. Now."


"Kyo, you need to call Kunimitsu, right away! He said he's been calling you, but he couldn't reach you because you're in class, so he called me...never mind, that's not important! You need to call him, right now! He said there's been an accident, he needs you to call him the first second you can. Please hurry!"


"Kunimitsu, would you slow the fuck down? I need you to tell me what happened!"

"That's just it, Kyo, I don't know, I don't fucking know! I don't know, because I'm an idiot and I didn't lie and they can't tell me because I'm not the next of kin! All I know is he was involved in some kind of accident and taken to XXXX Hospital and they won't tell me anything else, Kyo, not even if he's...not even if he's...you're his son, Kyo, they'll talk to you. Call them, find out what's going on, call me back the second you know."


"Yeah, my name's Kyo Sohma, I'm Kazuma Sohma's son. He's a patient, he's been admitted there, and I need to talk to someone, I need to- Yeah, I'll wait."


"I've gotta go, Tohru. Yeah, they sounded optimistic, but he's in pretty rough shape, and I just...I've gotta be there, Tohru. For as long as it takes...I've gotta go. Right now."

"Of course you do, right away! Don't worry about Sachi and I, we'll be fine, you just go, and tell Master Kazuma...tell Master Kazuma..."

"It's gonna be fine, Tohru. He's gonna be fine, I'm sure of it. I'll talk to Sensei, tell Sachi, then run home, grab some stuff, and go."


"Sorry to interrupt, Kojima, but I gotta talk to Sachi, right now."

"Daddy? What's wrong, what happened? What happened!?"

"It's Dad, Sachi, he was coming home from Osaka and got knocked down a subway staircase. I'm leaving for Tokyo, right now. It sounds like he's probably gonna be ok, but he's in rough shape, so...I'm gonna be gone for a while."


"I'm so sorry to interrupt your weekend, Hajime, but we wanted to make sure you knew...that Master Kazuma's...been involved in an accident. Your father doesn't know all the details...but it sounds like he was on the stairs in the subway, and got pushed, or shoved, or knocked...he took quite a fall, Hajime, and it sounds...it sounds...it sounds so bad! Kyo talked to the hospital and they said he should hopefully make a full recovery, but he hit his head and broke some bones, and he's...and he's...


"No, I'm sorry, Katsuro, I wish I knew more. He was about to go into surgery when Kyo called. Apparently he landed on his left side, and his arm and shoulder took the brunt of the impact, but he hit his head hard, too, and there might be more...I'm so sorry, I can't keep it all straight right now. Your father's on his way to Tokyo right now...yes, of course. I promise, the second there's anything to tell you, we'll let you know.


"Sorry, Yuki, I can't talk now, I'm in Tokyo and just- Oh. No, yeah, that makes sense. Nah, I'm just about to the hospital now, I...I haven't seen him yet, or gotten any updates since I left. Yeah, I'm sure there'll be something, but right now I...yeah, I'll let you know later. Thanks for offering. ...I hope so, too."


Kazuma felt sure he'd never felt worse in his entire life. Not when he took that spinning hook kick to the face when he was eleven and got slammed into the wall, not when he slipped and fell on that nasty icy patch when he was forty-five, not even when he picked a fight with three delinquents at nineteen after his father died. He'd felt a lot of pain in his life; he'd been doing karate since he was a small boy, and he'd taken more hard knocks than he could possibly ever count. He'd fallen before. He'd accidentally been lit on fire once, in a particularly egregious kitchen mishap.

Nothing had ever come close to how he felt just then.

Every part of his body simultaneously hurt and felt heavy. He couldn't quite understand why, because his brain was foggy, and he couldn't quite focus on anything. But he knew that he ached, and hurt; like he was being prodded at with a dull knife, not quite hard enough to break the skin but hard enough to make him want to hiss in pain. And he had never been weak when it came to pain.

He tried to lift his head and assess the situation; he couldn't. Tried to sit up and figure out what was going on; couldn't. His body hurt, yes, but that was apparently all; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't even do so much as wiggle his fingers.

This...was problematic.

Trying to focus with his foggy brain and the strange half-dimness of his vision was making his head hurt...or maybe his head already hurt. Either way, he closed his eyes, trying to gather himself; clearly something had happened, and he needed to figure out the best course of action.

Like maybe calling for help.

Kazuma took a deep breath, but before he could say anything, he was startled by a voice.

"Dad?"

Kazuma's eyes shot open, and he once more tried and failed to sit up, or properly look around. But suddenly there was a familiar orange head above him; even though he couldn't totally focus yet, he'd know that color anywhere.

"Kyo? What are you doing here?"

He hardly recognized his voice; it sounded worn, and incredibly raspy. Just the act of saying those few words was uncomfortable, and he swallowed a few times to try and wash the rough feeling away.

Kyo didn't sound great either, he noticed; his son's voice sounded rough and exhausted, along with a little choked up, as he asked, "Where else'd I be?"

Kazuma blinked slowly, trying to bring Kyo into focus. He felt like there was something at least partially obscuring his vision; he wished it would go away. Clearly something had happened; there was no other reason he'd feel this bad and have Kyo with him. But what could it have been?

"Do you know where we are, Dad?" Kyo asked, attempting to sound controlled but his voice still almost quivering with emotion. "Do you remember what happened?"

Kazuma frowned. All he could really see well just then was the ceiling, which was admittedly unfamiliar. And as for what happened...

He concentrated very hard. He'd been coming back from a trip, hadn't he? He'd been in Osaka to visit Master Takeda's dojo. And he remembered the train...getting off the train. He'd decided to take a transfer to the subway to save himself some time versus taking all the connections he'd need on the train...

Kazuma's eyes widened slightly. He remembered deciding to take the stairs, because there were so many people wanting the escalator that there was a line. Not terribly surprising for January, even now that the holidays were over; there were always lots of people out and about, especially tourists. So he'd decided to take the stairs...

Kazuma closed his eyes as he remembered the shove. It likely was an accident; just someone else, trying to get where they were going and trying to get past the poky old man. He'd been going down the stairs, and someone had shoved him, and he'd fallen...fallen so far.

He exhaled. "Are we...in the hospital?"

"That's right."

Kazuma wanted to nod, but he couldn't. He was starting to feel a little more in his body now; he couldn't be sure, but he thought his fingers and toes might be starting to wake up.

Was that what they were doing, waking up?

He was still having trouble focusing on Kyo, but Kyo leaned closer and Kazuma could finally make out his face: tired and haggard, anxious, and streaked with dried tears.

"I fell..." Kazuma said softly, and Kyo nodded. Then Kazuma asked, "how bad is it?"

It certainly felt bad.

It was Kyo's turn to take a deep breath. "Well, the good news is the doctors are optimistic, Dad. I've been told by a couple people now they expect you're gonna make a full recovery, as long as you take care to let yourself heal properly."

"How bad is it?" Kazuma repeated, and Kyo steeled himself.

"You landed...pretty hard. Looks like you tried to catch yourself with your whole forearm, which is good, but you fell about nine steps and landed on concrete. You broke your arm, pretty badly, in a couple places. Broke your collarbone, dislocated your shoulder, and broke some bones in your hand, too. You didn't break any ribs, somehow, but you bruised 'em, and you cracked your head good on the floor, which gave you a concussion and hurt your neck. You've got a badly bruised hip, which again sounds like a miracle you didn't break, and...a hell of a lotta bruises," Kyo said, managing a tiny smile.

Kazuma was processing that. "What...did they have to do?"

"You hadta have surgery for your arm, it was...pretty messed up, apparently," Kyo said, once more doing his best to sound calm. "They also put...a plate? Or maybe it was a rod? In, for your collarbone. And your hand," he added quickly. "You had to have stiches on your forehead, so you've got a bandage over those...it's currently covering your left eye, but the eye itself's fine, just so you know."

Well, that would at least partially explain the strange vision.

"You've got a neck brace for now, and your arm's wrapped up and in a sling. And...yeah," Kyo said, exhaling once again. "You've been under; it's been...an hour since you came outta surgery? Maybe a little less, I guess. You shouldn't move much, or try to move much," he said quickly. "But if you've felt heavy, or unfocused, or like your whole body can't move...it's probably 'cause you're still waking up."

Kazuma closed his eyes, processing it all. No wonder he felt terrible; he'd literally fallen down a flight of stairs. It was a miracle he didn't feel worse, all things considered, especially after hitting his head, and-

Kazuma's eyes flared, and he looked over at Kyo. "What time is it?"

"Almost nine. At night."

Kazuma closed his eyes again. "I'm assuming the answer is yes, since you're here, but...does Kunimitsu know what happened?" he asked, his voice trembling ever so slightly, and Kyo nodded, reaching out and taking Kazuma's right hand.

"He does, Dad. He's the one who called me, or rather called Tohru. And I've told him everything, don't worry. He knows. And I'll call him so you can talk to him, as soon as you feel up to it."

Kazuma tried to nod, but he was once again stopped; that was right, he had a neck brace on.

"I'd like to talk to him now, if you don't mind."

"Yeah, of course. I'll call, then step out to give you guys some privacy. I could use something to eat anyway," Kyo said, smiling slightly as he pulled out his phone. After a moment, he set it down right next to Kazuma's head and hit dial, then speakerphone, and straightened up as it rang.

Kunimitsu answered before the phone had even finished ringing that first time.

"Is he awake yet? Is he still resting comfortably? Have the doctors told you anything else?"

Kunimitsu sounded almost frantic, and Kazuma didn't doubt that he was. Today had been incredibly tough on Kazuma...but he could imagine it had been nearly as tough on his partner of over twenty-seven years.

"Awake, yes, but as to resting comfortably..."

"Kazuma?" Kunimitsu's voice was a mixture of shock and relief so intense it brought tears to Kazuma's eyes, and he smiled as he replied,

"Yes, it's me. I'm so sorry I worried you, Kunimitsu."

"Hey, don't apologize," Kunimitsu said, his voice suddenly choked up. "We know it wasn't your fault."

"Still...I'm sorry," Kazuma repeated.

"I'm sorry...I can't be there with you right now," Kunimitsu said, still choked up. "Kyo tried, but they only allow...immediate family...to stay after hours. And actually," Kunimitsu said, chuckling through what Kazuma was now convinced were tears, "They tried to send Kyo home, too, since you were in surgery so long. They said you 'weren't critical' anymore, so there was no reason for him to stay and he could come back in the morning."

Kazuma managed a weak laugh. "I can imagine how that must've gone down."

"Yeah, well, if there'd been even the slightest chance of success I'd've been right there arguing, too," Kunimitsu said, his voice heavy with resignation and bitterness, and Kazuma's good hand clenched slightly.

"I know. And I would have been happy to see you...but it's still good to hear you," he said, choking up a little himself.

"Well, you're gonna see me the second visiting hours open tomorrow, you got that? So make sure you sleep well, I want to see you bright-eyed and smiling."

Kazuma let out another weak chuckle. "Considering how I feel right now, I'm afraid I can't make any promises, but I'll do my best."

Kunimitsu was quiet for a moment, then his voice came again, soft and quavering and impossibly fragile. "I'm so glad you're ok, Kazuma. When they called me, looking to notify the household and your 'place of employment,' all they'd tell me was there'd been an accident and you were at the hospital, and that they could only release information to your next of kin. They wouldn't tell me what happened, how badly you were hurt, if you were...alive..." he said, his voice breaking. "All I could imagine was the worst, and it was...I was...I'm just so glad you're ok," he repeated emotionally.

Kazuma had tears running down his face too, imaging the terror Kunimitsu had to have felt; the same terror he would have felt, had the roles been reversed. There were few things Kazuma regretted about the way his life had turned out; he had a job he enjoyed, a family he adored, and a partner he loved deeply. He had wished, more than once, that it was possible for he and Kunimitsu to have what came so easily to others: a recognized relationship, legal protections.

Medical access.

Here, and now, those things were out of their reach. Even the number of people who knew they were a couple at all was incredibly small; just Kyo's family, out of everyone in the world. Not even Kunimitsu's parents had known, before they'd died.

And that...was just how things had to be. They knew it; they accepted it; they lived with it. But right here, in this moment...Kazuma most definitely hated it.

But even if Kunimitsu couldn't be there just then, even if Kunimitsu couldn't get any information directly, at least they could talk. At least Kazuma could hear his voice, and hear his relief...and hear his love.

"I'm glad, too," Kazuma said, smiling through his tears. "You're not going to be rid of me that easily, Kunimitsu; I'm afraid to say I've still got quite a lot of fight left in me, even now."

Kunimitsu laughed, a small, choked up laugh. "Yeah, well, if you're afraid of that, then that makes one of us, Kazuma." There was a pause, then Kunimitsu said, "I'm gonna let you go; it's late, and you should probably try to rest."

"Yes, I probably should. But it was good to hear your voice," Kazuma said, and he could feel Kunimitsu's smile through the phone.

"It was great to hear yours. Rest well, and I'll see you right at ten tomorrow morning."

"I'll be waiting."

"Love you."

"I love you, too."

There was silence for a moment, then Kazuma chuckled weakly again. "I'm afraid you'll have to hang up, Kunimitsu; Kyo set the phone up for me before stepping out, and I can't reach it myself."

"Oh, you're alone? Well, I can hang out until Kyo's back-"

Just then, the door opened, and Kyo peeked his head in. "You guys need more time?"

"Speak of the devil."

"We're finished, Kyo," Kazuma said with a smile. "If you'd be so kind as to hang up the phone?"

"Yeah, sure," Kyo said, walking into the room. But before he did, he said, "I'll head back to the dojo for a bit when you get here tomorrow, Kunimitsu, that sound good?"

"You don't have to leave, Kyo," Kazuma began, but Kyo was shaking his head.

"Nah, it's fine. I can take a shower, and give you guys some time."

"Thanks, Kyo," said Kunimitsu, and Kyo smiled.

"No problem. Have a good night, Kunimitsu."

"Good night," said Kazuma.

"Night. Make sure you sleep!" Then Kunimitsu was gone, and Kyo reached out to take the phone.

Kazuma smiled up at him. "Thank you, Kyo."

"No problem," Kyo said, half-smiling back. "If it was me lying there, I'd've hoped you'd've done the same."

Kazuma let out another quiet breath. "So...Kunimitsu is coming here tomorrow...I suppose that means I have to stay here for a little while longer, then?" He wasn't surprised; he felt like he'd been hit by a truck, and even if he was able to move most of his body now, he was rapidly discovering he didn't want to.

Kyo nodded as he pulled up his chair. "That's right. For sure through tomorrow night, possibly the one after that, too. Between your head and all the stuff they had to do to your arm and shoulder, they wanna keep you here for a bit so they can keep an eye on you, and keep you on the strong drugs for a little longer."

Kazuma let out a gusty sigh, and Kyo laughed. "I know, sounds pretty sucky, doesn't it? We'll do our best to make sure you don't get bored."

Kazuma glanced over at him and smiled apologetically. "I'm so sorry, Kyo. I've made you miss work, and have to travel so far unexpectedly-"

Kyo's smile was gone, replaced by a look of almost fierce intensity as he leaned forward and took Kazuma's good hand.

"Don't, Dad. It's not your fault, and even if it was, it wouldn't matter. Of course I was gonna come; I'm always gonna come. You need me, then I'll be here, and that's a promise. I'd've travelled a hell of a lot farther than this to see you, and make sure you're ok," he said, choking up slightly.

Kyo was squeezing Kazuma's hand, and Kazuma squeezed back, trying hard to swallow away the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. Then suddenly, Kyo cleared his.

"Kunimitsu's right, Dad, you oughtta try and get some sleep. Like I said, the doctors say you can hopefully make a full recovery, but you gotta take proper care of yourself and rest up. I'm gonna duck out again real quick and see if I can grab someone; they wanted to check you out after you were up from the anesthesia. But then you should try and sleep," he repeated.

Kazuma sighed. "You say that as though I haven't been resting almost all day. How long has it even been?"

"A while," Kyo admitted. "Tohru told me at about ten this morning, and I guess your accident happened around nine, give or take. You were supposed to go into surgery right away, but there was a priority case that came in, so you got bumped at the last minute, which is probably a good sign, too," he said, smiling.

"Most likely," Kazuma agreed, smiling slightly himself. "This is a situation where I'd certainly prefer not to be a priority."

"But you were on pretty strong meds for everything beforehand, so I'm not shocked you don't remember the details. I got here about six-thirty," he added.

Kazuma thought about that for a moment. It was Saturday, he knew, so normally Kyo would have taught two classes in the morning and then one in the afternoon. Tohru had gotten to him at the tail end of his first class, so he'd had to miss two...but at least Kazuma could feel better about the fact Kyo always had Sundays off.

"Are you planning to go back tomorrow afternoon?" Kazuma asked, looking at Kyo as he rose to go find someone to check Kazuma.

"Don't worry about it right now, ok, Dad? We'll talk more about stuff in the morning, but right now I'm gonna go find someone to look at you. And while you're doing that, I'm gonna call Tohru."

Kazuma supposed that made sense, too. "I'm sorry to have worried her so much." He didn't have to ask to know that Tohru had to be a basket case; she had always felt things very deeply, and he regretted immensely that she was suffering on his behalf.

"Don't worry about it, Dad, she'll be fine. Sachi's with her, and I've given 'em updates as I've gotten 'em, so they already know you're outta surgery and looking good. I just need to let 'em know you're awake, at this point," he said with a smile.

Kazuma smiled back, then let out a resigned sigh. "Alright. I'll let you go, then."

"Yeah, 'let me,'" Kyo said, chuckling. "I'll be back as soon as I found someone, ok?"

"Alright," Kazuma said.


As the door clicked shut, Kazuma closed his eyes. His body still hurt, and he suspected that would be the case for quite some time. But his spirit felt infinitely better than it had, in those painful, panicked moments when he first woke up.

He was immensely lucky, he knew. Listening to Kyo list out his injuries had been daunting...but it could have been so much worse, easily. It wasn't even his right arm that had been broken; he supposed her could be grateful he was angled to the left and not the right when he fell. His legs were ok, his hips were mostly ok...the doctors were optimistic he'd make a full recovery, Kyo had said. That was certainly a good thing.

But at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder. What, exactly, did a 'full recovery' mean, for a sixty-nine-year-old man?