All things considered, Kazuma and Kyo both slept 'well' that night. Not great, by any stretch of the imagination; between Kazuma's injuries, Kyo's chair, and the periodic checks by the nursing staff, 'great' wasn't remotely possible...but that was ok. And the next morning, Kazuma was glad to have a chance to actually, properly talk.

"Are you planning to head back this afternoon, Kyo?" Kazuma asked, looking over at Kyo as they both ate their breakfasts. Kazuma was allowed to sit up that morning, or at least recline, and while he still hurt, now that the anesthesia had fully worn off he no longer felt like a zombie. Really, he almost felt like himself.

Or close enough.

So naturally, the obvious question was what Kyo planned to do. Kazuma was immensely grateful for Kyo's presence, and Kyo had been right the night before. As much as Kazuma hated to feel he was inconveniencing anyone, it was practically a given, that Kyo was going to come, particularly when Kyo was Kazuma's closest legal relative.

And it was admittedly wonderful to have him there.

But at the same time, Kyo had his own life and his own responsibilities; the danger was passed, so as far as Kazuma could see, there was no reason for Kyo to burn any more vacation time than he had to. Kazuma would have Kunimitsu; together, they would make things work, just the same as they always had.

At Kazuma's question, Kyo was silent for a moment, looking down at his breakfast. Then he looked back at Kazuma. "No, I'm not."

Kazuma frowned. "Kyo, as much as I'm glad to see you and grateful you're here, I know you have limited vacation-"

"I'm not using vacation, Dad," Kyo said, and Kazuma looked at him in surprise.

"You can't tell me that you're using health leave for my sake, Kyo, what if something happens to you yourself? Or Tohru, or Sachiko, or-"

"I'm not using health leave either, Dad, and will you just cool it?" Kyo said, giving him a look that mixed exasperation and affection. "I'm on a sabbatical, ok?"

Kazuma wasn't expecting that, and at first all he could do was stare. Then when he could finally speak, he only managed one word. "What?"

"I'm on a sabbatical," Kyo repeated, "a training sabbatical. I was due for one anyway, it's been a few years, and Sensei thought it'd be the best option."

"I...what?" Kazuma asked, feeling admittedly bewildered, and Kyo chuckled.

"I can tell you're surprised, 'cause you're clearly not thinking straight, or you'd already understand. But you're pretty banged up, Dad," Kyo said, leaning forward and taking on a more serious tone. "Yeah, the doctors are optimistic, but you've gotta give yourself a chance to heal, and you've gotta rest. That means you can't be running classes and doing all the stuff you normally do, and Kunimitsu can't deal with everything himself and you on top of it. So..." He shrugged. "For the next twelve weeks, you've got me."

Kazuma was overwhelmed. "Kyo..."

"And don't try to convince me otherwise, it's a done deal. I arranged it with Sensei before I left yesterday, he's the one who told me Tohru was looking for me. He understands, and it was his idea. Says it's fine for me to do my sabbatical here; after all, no one can argue the Sohma Dojo's not a great choice, even if I hear the Master's taking a break just now," he said, smiling slightly.

Kazuma exhaled. "Kyo, you should have talked to me first. I can't ask you to take on so much so suddenly-"

"Yeah, and you didn't. I've already talked to Kunimitsu, and he's onboard too; what, you don't trust me to deliver to the dojo's standards?" Kyo asked, grinning, and after a moment Kazuma laughed.

"I've always trusted to you to exceed the dojo's standards, Kyo...and mine too," he said, his voice soft and emotional. "If you're sure-"

"I'm sure. And it's all already been arranged."

Kazuma let out another breath, then smiled. "I'll be very, very happy to have you."


It was four minutes after ten when Kunimitsu appeared in the door to the room, and Kazuma looked over at him with a smile. "You're late; whatever happened to you being here as soon as visiting hours opened?"

Kunimitsu was slightly teary, but he was grinning from ear to ear as he walked into the room. "Hey, I was at the hospital then, don't you worry. But they won't let visitors in at all until ten, and I had to get up here after that, so...sorry. But I'm here now," he said softly, and Kazuma took a deep breath.

"Yes...you're here now."

Kyo stood up with a smile. "I'll head back to the dojo for a while. You saw you've gotta leave at noon, right Kunimitsu?"

"I did, yeah," Kunimitsu said with a grumble. "But I'll be back again when visiting hours are open again this afternoon."

"You want me to come back when Kunimitsu leaves, Dad?" Kyo asked, pausing in the doorway. "Otherwise it'd be about three hours before he's back."

Kazuma shook his head. "No, I'll be fine. With the travel time, there's not much point, and contrary to popular belief I'm perfectly capable of being alone for a little while," he said, smiling at both of them. Perhaps I'll take advantage of the opportunity to take a nap, since I know you both are so eager for me to make sure I'm resting."

Both Kyo and Kunimitsu laughed, then Kyo looked at them. "Alright, I'm gonna head out, then. I'll see you later this afternoon, Dad, and make sure you guys let me know if anything changes, ok?"

"No problem, Kyo," Kunimitsu said. "Thanks again."

The door closed behind Kyo, and Kunimitsu sighed, then looked at Kazuma with a soft smile. "It's good to see you, Kazuma," he said, and Kazuma felt that familiar lump once more.

"I'm sorry, I know have to look like quite the mess right now," Kazuma said, watching as Kunimitsu walked around to take Kyo's chair, and Kazuma smiled as he reached out his good hand.

Kunimitsu took it in both of his. "You're probably not going to win any beauty pageants right now, no, but...I'm so happy to see you, Kazuma," he repeated, his voice choked up but his eyes shining.

Almost as brightly as Kazuma's.


Although it was January, the weather wasn't bad; Kyo could almost enjoy the day as he walked the last few blocks from the train station to the dojo. It certainly didn't feel unpleasant to be out and walking, and he could actually see and appreciate the bright blue sky.

Yesterday, the weather could have been anything. He couldn't remember what it had been like, not from the moment he'd stepped outside of the Matsuda Dojo late that morning. It could have been overcast, or snowing, or literally raining fire; he didn't know if he would have noticed.

How much difference one day could make.


Yesterday had started like any other Saturday. Kyo had always taught three Saturday classes, every single Saturday for almost twenty-nine years. The classes themselves had changed up slightly, and the students a lot, but he'd always had those same three timeslots: nine, ten forty-five, and one thirty. Always.

And for almost twelve years now, he walked to the dojo with his daughter, almost every Saturday morning. Even on cold winter days like yesterday they usually walked; it wasn't even a mile, and Kyo had always preferred walking over driving. That walk, like their walks home from the dojo on weekday evenings, was their time; time for just the two of them, to talk karate and anything else that struck their fancy.

Hajime had been part of that time, once; back when he still lived at home and took karate as well. But Hajime had left when he was fifteen, moving away to Tokyo, to high school and a new life.

A life that Kyo had known, even when he hugged Hajime goodbye, likely wouldn't contain karate for too much longer.

But the walks had continued, with Kyo and Sachiko. Time had passed, and Sachiko had grown; fifteen had come and gone for her, but Sachiko had stayed. Their walks had continued. And now, at nearly seventeen, Sachiko was still there. Sure, some days she didn't walk with him; she was a teenager, after all, and sometimes she wanted to spend a little extra time with her friends. But often...most of the time...they walked together.

They'd walked together, yesterday. Walked to the dojo together, and Sachiko had teased him about his recent birthday and whether or not his arthritis (that he didn't have, and never had) was bothering him in the cold. Both of them had been laughing when they arrived at the dojo and parted ways, Kyo to teach his children's class and Sachiko to attend her advanced youth class; they expected, as always, to see each other again at their next class, when Sachiko would be one of Kyo's mixed-rank students.

That class had never even started, at least not for them.


Kyo had been supervising his kid class's sparring when the door to the practice room had opened, and he'd been startled to see his boss moving quickly into the room. As the dojo master, Sensei Matsuda could and did check in on the various classes from time to time, but Kyo could tell at once this wasn't a mere check.

Long before Sensei had become Haruto Matsuda, dojo master, he'd been Haruto Maeda, one of Kyo's coworkers. They'd known each other since the very first day Kyo had stepped into the Matsuda Dojo and been friends for nearly as long; even though Sensei was older than Kyo and initially skeptical of Kyo's youth, Kyo's skill and professionalism had won him over almost in spite of himself. Since then Sensei might have been adopted by the previous Sensei Matsuda and groomed to be his successor; he might be Kyo's boss now, as well as his karate master. But none of that had changed their friendship, or the fact that Kyo knew before Sensei had even crossed half the room that something was wrong.

Kyo had glanced at his students as he moved towards Sensei, but Sensei had kept his voice low when he was finally close enough to talk.

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

Kyo's eyes flared, and he barely managed to nod to Sensei before he was hurrying out of the room. For Tohru to be there meant that she'd been unable to reach him, which was fair; they never carried their phones in the dojo, and while there was technically a receptionist at the dojo now, she didn't work on weekends. He didn't know if Tohru had successfully reached Sensei's phone or just sought him out in the dojo; either way, he was grateful to his boss for covering for him...

For whatever the reason.


Tohru was waiting in the hall as promised, and Kyo's stomach had dropped at the sight of her anxious, tear-streaked face as she practically leapt at him, the moment he was in sight.

"What's wrong, Tohru, what happened?" he demanded, knowing he needed to let her talk but already almost beside himself with fear. It didn't help that Tohru was crying so hard that she couldn't speak at first, and his mind was racing through a million different and terrible possibilities before she finally collected herself enough to speak.

"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!"

His stomach dropped even further, and he could feel the blood drain from his face. He'd imagined so many things, but having one of those thoughts prove correct...it was so much worse than when it had only been a fear.

Immediately Kyo pulled away. "My phone's-"

"Use mine!" Tohru frantically called after him, and Kyo skidded to a halt before turning and racing back to her, almost snatching the phone from her fingers with shaking hands. She'd already unlocked it for him, and he called Kunimitsu at once.

The phone barely rang before Kunimitsu answered, sounding so much more panicked and afraid than Kyo had ever heard him that it made Kyo's own fears ratchet higher. He was trying to follow, but he couldn't; Kunimitsu was talking too fast, and his statements were far too disjointed.

Kyo was way too scared to be patient, or polite.

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

That jarred Kunimitsu enough to stop him for a moment, and when he spoke again he was at least understandable. But the other man's voice was still raw, emotional, and laced with fear when he replied.

"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..." Kunimitsu couldn't speak for a moment, and Kyo could tell from Kunimitsu's harsh intake of breath that he was fighting not to break down. "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."

Kyo was gripping the phone so hard his hand hurt, and he felt like his heart was contracting inside of him. An accident...Kazuma had been in an accident, and Kunimitsu didn't know anything about it. Kunimitsu didn't know...he couldn't say...

Suddenly, Kyo's mind was filled with visions of blood, with memories he'd always wished he could forget.

An accident...

"I'll call you right back," Kyo said, his voice terse but shaking. Then he hung up and without so much as looking up, he searched the hospital Kunimitsu had named, finding and calling the first contact number he found.

"Thank you for calling XXXX General Hospital, how may I direct your call?"

Kyo took a deep breath. "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-"

"-Sir, can you hold one moment?"

"-Yeah, I'll wait." If he had no choice.

Kyo was aware of Tohru's arms slipping around his waist, and he wrapped his free arm around her, holding her tight as he listened to the hospital hold music and tried not to scream out in rage and frustration. Something had happened. To Kazuma, to his father, and all that he knew so far was that he knew nothing. He didn't know what kind of accident, when it had happened, or where; he didn't know what kind of condition he was in.

He didn't know if he was...if he was...

Kyo could feel his whole body shaking, and he clung to Tohru like an anchor. He could only remember one time in the past three decades he'd felt this way: when he'd stood in the hospital the day Hajime was born, watching Tohru unconscious in the operating table and wondering if he was about to lose her.

An accident...there had been an accident...

He wasn't ready to lose any of them.

"Sir?"

"Yes!" He burst out, and the woman on the other end made a little noise.

"I'm going to transfer you. Please hold."

"Yeah, sure." He was already sick of holding. Why couldn't she just tell him?

But the phone was picked up almost immediately, which was admittedly a relief.

"Hello, to whom am I speaking?"

The new woman's voice was even calmer than the previous one, and Kyo had to grit his teeth not to lose his temper. They were all just doing their jobs, but still...

"This is Kyo Sohma. My dad, Kazuma Sohma, has been admitted there?"

"Yes...it's good you called, Mr. Sohma, we've been attempting to reach you but hadn't been successful yet."

Of course...his phone was in his locker. No wonder they hadn't been able to reach him.

"Well, you got me now. What's going on?" Kyo asked, fighting to stay calm, and he felt Tohru's grip on him tighten.

"Your father was admitted after suffering a severe fall, Mr. Sohma-"

"A fall?"

"Yes. He was brought from the XXXX Subway station; I personally don't have the details, but Mr. Sohma suffered several serious injuries." She proceeded to give Kyo a high-level rundown, then said, "he's about to be taken into surgery, and then he'll need to stay here for at least two nights."

It had been terrifying to hear, but as the woman had spoken, Kyo had relaxed. Kazuma...was alive. He was alive, and that, right now, was what mattered.

"Look," Kyo said, "I'm gonna be heading straight there, but I've gotta come from up by Hirosaki and I can't get there until evening, probably. Can I give permission for someone else to be there now, and get information in my place?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Sohma, but only the patient can grant that permission."

Kyo wasn't surprised, but it was still a disappointment. "Alright, thanks. What number did you guys have for me?" She read off Kyo's cellphone number, and he nodded. "Yeah, that's right. I didn't have it on me this morning, but I will now. Like I said, I've gotta travel down there, but if anything changes or there's any new information, please let me know right away." He hesitated, then asked, "can I talk to him?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Sohma, but as I said, he's about to be taken into surgery."

"Right, that's right. Thanks for your help."

Kyo had hung up the phone and took a deep breath, then promptly called back Kunimitsu, not wasting any time on greetings.

"He fell at a subway station, though the lady I talked to didn't have specifics just now. He's pretty banged up, but she said none of it's life-threatening-"

"Oh thank god," Kunimitsu had said, his voice overflowing with emotion.

"They're about to take him into surgery, she said. And I tried, Kunimitsu, but I guess they can't talk to anyone other'n me without Dad's permission, and Dad can't talk right now."

"I figured, but thanks for trying," Kunimitsu said, and Kyo nodded.

"I'm gonna get some stuff sorted out here quick, then I'm gonna be heading straight to the hospital, ok?"

"Ok. And if you hear anything else-"

"I'll call you first."


Kyo had hung up, then closed his eyes, gathering himself once more. It wasn't good...but it wasn't terrible. It wasn't terrible. Kazuma was alive, his injuries weren't life-threatening, he was going to be ok...he was going to be ok...

Kyo was still shaking, though. Even hearing those words did nothing to truly calm him down, and he genuinely doubted anything would, short of actually seeing Kazuma and reassuring himself, in person, that his father was going to be ok.

He had to be ok.

Kyo had taken another breath, then looked down at his wife. "I've gotta go, Tohru," he said, his voice shaky. He knew she'd heard everything; there was no way she hadn't, standing as close as she was "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."

Tohru hadn't hesitated for a second. "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..."

Tohru's voice had choked up again, and she couldn't finish. Kyo wrapped both arms around her now, hugging her tightly and burying his face in her hair as he said "It's gonna be fine, Tohru. He's gonna be fine, I'm sure of it."

Because he had to be. There was no other option.

Lifting his head, Kyo loosened his grip on Tohru and stepped back. "I'll talk to Sensei, tell Sachi, then run home, grab some stuff, and go. Can you wait here while I sort stuff out? You drove, right?"

Tohru nodded. "Yes to both. I'll be waiting, right here."

Kyo nodded back, then handed her her phone. "I'll be as fast as I can."


Kyo's conversation with Sensei was short and to the point. As soon as Sensei knew what had happened, his response was immediate. "Of course you've gotta go, Sohma. Don't worry about it, just go." But then he'd paused. "Do you know what the plan for the dojo is?" Sensei had known Kazuma for only a couple years less than he'd known Kyo himself; all of Kyo's peers were aware of the fact his father was a karateka, and ran a dojo himself.

Kyo hadn't considered that at all, but he could understand Sensei, a dojo master himself, immediately thinking of that angle.

"No, I don't. Dad's obviously gonna be outta commission for a while; I'd guess at least a couple months. He's got his dans, and his business partner, but..." Kyo had frowned then, realizing just how big a problem Kazuma being laid up might pose. Yes, they had people who could help with the teaching, but the rest of it? He hesitated, then looked at his boss. "Sensei-"

Sensei had been thinking quickly himself. "We've been saying you were due to start figuring out a dojo for your next sabbatical, right Sohma?"

Kyo straightened up, a relieved and grateful feeling starting to course through him. "That's right, Sensei."

"Why don't you just take it now, at the Sohma Dojo? I know the Master there," he said, smiling slightly, "And he's trained some of the best," he continued, reaching out and patting Kyo's shoulder.

Kyo was smiling himself. "Thanks, Sensei. Thanks a whole lot. So long as you're sure-"

"-I know I don't have to tell you to work hard. You've got twelve weeks, same as always. If the situation changes..." he hesitated, then squared his shoulders. "If things change, let me know. Whatever that means. But in the meantime, we'll expect you back in twelve weeks."

Kyo didn't have to ask Sensei to spell out what he meant; both of them were thinking the same thing. If Kazuma's healing took longer than anticipated...or there were complications...then things might not be as simple as a twelve-week sabbatical.

But those twelve weeks were a start, and far more than Kyo would have initially expected.

"I'll be sure to let you know, Sensei, and thanks."

"You're welcome, Sohma. Tell Master Kazuma we're all wishing him a speedy recovery, and looking forward to seeing him whole and hearty this summer again."

"I will."

They bowed to each other, and Kyo slipped back out of the room and hurried back over to Tohru, explaining quickly what Sensei had said. And once more, Tohru had agreed.

"Of course, Kyo, of course! And that's so impossibly kind of Haruto, I can't believe he was able to come up with such a good idea, and so quickly!"

"Yeah...it'll make a lot of things easier, I'm sure. I know they've got their dans, and there might be some stuff Dad can do on the business side of things after he's healed a bit, but...it's just a lot, all at once, especially with Kunimitsu needing to deal with Dad, too. And you know Dad's gonna have a tough time giving himself as much recovery time as he should-"

"-Like someone else we know?" Tohru asked, giving him a tear-streaked smile.

Kyo grinned, but continued on "-especially if it looks like Kunimitsu's struggling. If I'm there, I can help both of 'em, and besides..." Kyo took a deep breath, then said quietly, "It's probably...not a bad idea, for me to start...figuring some things out there."

They had both been quiet, thinking about that; about the thing that had been lurking in the back of both of their minds for over a decade now, the big question that both of them automatically wanted to answer 'of course!' whenever it was asked...but wasn't that simple.

It hadn't been that simple, not for years. And they knew it wasn't going to get any simpler with time, no matter how much they tried to convince themselves otherwise.

Finally, Tohru nodded. "You're right. It will be good, for you to be there, and...learn more how things work. And to help Kunimitsu, and Master Kazuma..." Tohru's lip wobbled again, and she looked at him. "And you're sure...you're sure...that he's...that he's not..."

Kyo's hugged her close. "I only know what they told me, Tohru, but from the sound of it...he's gonna be ok. You know Dad, he's always been a fighter. Literally," he added, with an admittedly choked-up laugh. "But still..." he swallowed, then looked at the clock. "Class is almost over, but I don't wanna wait. I'm gonna talk to Sachi, and then we oughtta go; if I'm gonna be in Tokyo for three months, I'm definitely gonna wanna bring some stuff."

Tohru nodded, and Kyo once more headed down the hall, stopping in front of Sachiko's classroom and sliding open the door. They were in the middle of sparring, too, but he saw his daughter at once among the students currently observing. Perfect.

Sensei Kojima approached quickly, a worried frown on his face; he knew Kyo was supposed to be teaching his own class, so it wasn't surprising he was concerned.

"Sohma?"

"Sorry to interrupt, Kojima, but I gotta talk to Sachi, right now," Kyo said quietly, and after a searching look Kojima nodded.

"Yeah, no problem." Turning, Kojima called out "Sachiko!"

Most of the class turned to look, and Kyo saw his daughter's expression changed from scrutinizing concentration as she watched the fighters to surprise at the call to instant concern at the sight of Kyo, and she almost flew across the room to where Kyo was standing with Sensei Kojima.

"Daddy? What's wrong, what happened?" she asked, her voice low but laced with concern. Then she took a better look at Kyo's face, and her voice became almost panicked. "What happened!?"

Kyo shot a glance at Sensei Kojima, then spoke quickly but quietly. "It's Dad, Sachiko, he was coming home from Osaka and got knocked down a subway staircase." Sensei Kojima sucked in a breath the same time Sachiko's hand flew to her mouth, her eyes wide. "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."

Sachiko's eyes had filled with tears. "But he's gonna be ok, right Daddy? He's gonna be ok?" she said, almost demanding, and Kyo hugged her tight.

"It sounds like it, yeah. The hospital sounded pretty confident, so that's good...but I've still gotta go, right away."

"Sensei knows?" Kojima asked, and Kyo nodded.

"Yeah, he's got my class. I'm sure he's gonna fill you guys all in soon, I'm gonna be gone for a while," Kyo said, still holding Sachiko. Kojima nodded, then Kyo had straightened up and let go of his daughter. "I've gotta run, Sachi, your mom's waiting and she's gonna drive me home so I can pack. You be helpful for her while I'm gone, ok?"

"Wait, Mom's here, too?"

"Yeah, she came to tell me what happened. But she's gonna be staying up here, don't worry, and you can-"

Sachiko had looked straight at her teacher. "Sorry, Sensei Kojima, but I'm gonna go now, if that's ok?"

Kojima glanced at Kyo, who nodded, then back at Sachiko. "Yeah, that's fine, Sachiko. I'll see you later. And take care, Sohma," he said, squeezing Kyo's upper arm. "I hope everything works out with your dad."

"Thanks, Kojima," Kyo had said, then he and Sachiko had bowed out of the room. All that was left to do then was get their stuff from the locker rooms, head home and for Kyo to pack.


It had been hard, leaving them behind. It had been especially hard leaving Tohru; the two of them had always leaned on each other in a crisis, gathering as much strength from comforting each other as from actually being comforted themselves. And though he'd been on numerous training sabbaticals over the years, this was first time he was leaving for so long with no warning, no notice, and no plan for her to join him for a least part of the time he'd be gone. He was confident they'd figure things out later, but right then...

He just had to go.

Sachiko and Tohru had taken him the bus station and hugged him, telling him to hug Kazuma and give him their love. To let them know as soon as he knew anything more about Kazuma's condition, and if anything had changed. To be safe, himself.

And how much they loved him.

"I love you, too," he'd whispered, hugging Tohru tightly. "Always, and forever. And I'll talk to you as soon as I know. You're gonna call the boys?"

Tohru nodded. "As soon as we get home."

"Good. And you can tell both of 'em the same thing, you or I'll let 'em know whenever there's anything new."

She nodded, and Kyo exhaled. "Ok then...I'll see you guys later."


He'd been confident, then. Confident, because Tohru needed him to be strong. Because Sachiko needed him to be strong. Because he'd needed to project confidence, to deal with everything he had to just then.

But once he was alone, he'd allowed himself to feel all the emotions he'd been suppressing; the terror and anxiety and uncertainty, the anger at what had happened, and the relief Kazuma would likely be ok. And those emotions had preoccupied him the entire way to Tokyo, making him grateful for just how familiar the entire trip was because he barely remembered any of it. But eventually, he'd ended up at the hospital, and he'd been allowed to sit with Kazuma, even if he was still asleep. Then Kazuma had woken up...and he was going to be ok.

Everything...was going to be ok.