"Mn...Yuki…"

The entire ride from Yuki's place was a blur for Shuichi. He had still been weak and groggy from the hospital, so had to use what little focus and energy he had just to stay awake and on the back of the motorcycle; all the while weakly calling Yuki's name now and then again. The next thing he knew, the bike was rolling to a stop in the garage of a modest home on a quiet street; only barely able to recognize it as Hiro's place.

"Can you walk?" Hiro asked once he turned off the engine and put down the kickstand.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Alright, just take it slow."

Shuichi did just that, and very carefully set his feet shakily on the ground and stood there until he was sure he wouldn't fall over. Hiro immediately put an arm around the small boy's waist to help support some of his weight, and the two made their way inside where Hiro got Shuichi settled right into his guest bed.

"Get some sleep Shu. Don't go running off again either, you idiot." Hiro's words fell on totally deaf ears though, as shuichi had completely passed out almost as soon as his body sunk into the soft mattress.

It was well into the next morning before Shuichi even started to wake from his very deep, and very needed sleep. He was immediately struck by the dull soreness all over his body, and then was hit with the slight confusion of not knowing where he was or how he got there. He gave himself a minute to wake up a bit more, and then finally sat up in the bed very slowly. Once he got a good look around and realized where he was, he was able to remember not only how he got there, but all the events that led up to his departure from Yuki's the previous day. That line of thought only served to bring him right back into a state of worry and depression regarding the current situation between him and his beloved author; but he decided that he was just going to have to take all this one thing at a time. First thing on his list, was to find Hiro and figure out what they were going to do about work. He gave himself another minute or two to get some strength up, and then hauled himself from the bed to wobble his way out of the bedroom and down the hall into the living room where he found Hiro lounging on the couch.

"Ngh...hey Hiro. Thanks for letting me stay here last night." Hiro perked up from his magazine when he heard his friend's voice, and immediately gave him a disapproving look.

"You don't have to thank me for that dummy, but you really should get back into bed. You're not well yet."

"I can't get back into bed...we have work to do for the new album." Shuichi insisted as firmly as his sore throat would allow; but did add in a grumble, "And I have to go see Yuki." That earned him a long exacerbated sigh from Hiro.

"No Shuichi, you don't. I think Yuki has made it clear that he doesn't care about what happens to you."

"That's not true! He does care about me! There is just something going on with him...and I have to find out what it is. He isn't acting like himself."

"Pfft, seems like the same asshole to me."

"No, you don't get it. Something is really wrong with him. The other night when I...when Taki jumped me, Yuki found me before they really did anything to me." That definitely piqued Hiro;s interest; having not yet actually heard what happened.

"So did he even try to help you?"

Shuichi hadn't really planned on going into any sort of details about the attack, but now that Yuki's reputation was at stake, he felt like he didn't have any other choice. He grumbled a little and meandered over to plop down into a seat on the couch beside Hiro.

"Well...that's what's weird. He came over like he was going to do something, but then he just sort of froze up. He just stood there staring off into nothing. So those assholes grabbed him and held him down next to me." Hiro actually looked a little worried at that; brow furrowing slightly as he set his magazine aside to give him his full attention.

"Did they...do the same to him? That they did to you?"

"No! Definitely not. They made him watch though; but I don't think he was really watching. I dunno...I was really out of it at the time but from what I remember, Yuki didn't fight them or anything. Just stared off into nothing the whole time. Even after Taki and those guys left, I tried to get him to snap out of it, but it was like he couldn't even hear me. That's why I had to call you."

"Hmm...well I guess that is really unlike him...but it still doesn't excuse what he did yesterday. He seemed just fine when I pulled him off of you. A little too fine if you ask me." Shuichi blushed and began to fidget his hands together at the memory.

"Yeah, I dunno what that was about either. I think he was just really drunk yesterday. Which makes me even more worried! He seems really upset about everything and he is gonna drink himself to death!"

"No way that prick will die that easy."

"Hiro!"

"Yeah yeah. Sorry Shu, I just really don't trust him; especially not what happened, and ESPECIALLY if he is unstable right now. You really shouldn't go over there. At the very least, not until you heal up a bit more. The doctor said you got really really messed up and need to recover properly." Shuichi grumbled as he thought on that; hated to admit that Hiro was properly right about at least getting better first.

"I suppose...but I'm not happy about it! Plus, I still need to work on the album. I've barely written anything."

"Nah, Seguchi pushed the release date back for us due to your assault. Even he wants you to just focus on feeling better. So don't worry about the album for now."

Shuichi was actually really relieved to hear that, since there was no way he could write any sort of decent lyrics right now.

"Well...I suppose if we have more time to work on the album, then maybe I can take a few days off. I do feel like shit."

"Heh, you look like shit too."

"Heh , jerk! I'm gonna use your shower. Then i'll try and get some more sleep. Thanks again for everything Hiro.

"Sounds good. Just let me know if you need anything."

"I will." With that, Shuichi made his way back down the hall and into the bathroom to take a much needed shower.

It wasn't until he got the water running and stopped to look at himself in the mirror, that he noticed just how beat up he really was. His face was covered in brushes and road rash from the pavement, he had the remnants of a black eye, and of course his ass was still sore as anything. Seeing himself so messed up just brought back the vivid and violent memories of what happened, and finally for the first time since that night, he let himself start to really process it. He honestly hadn't thought even Taki would take things this far, and he now felt horribly stupid and violated. Despite his feeling of loss and trauma about it all, he realized that his main concern was still Yuki. He was beyond worried for the man, and still couldn't figure out exactly what happened to him that night or why. He knew he had to get to the bottom of it though. All this brought him right along to the thought of what happened just the day before. It wasn't exactly uncommon for Yuki to be a little rough with him, and Shuichi had always liked that actually, but something was much different that time. It was like Yuki wasn't even himself at all, and even he had to admit that at that moment it really did feel like Yuki didn't care about him at all. Yuki could be harsh at times, but he had never tried to physically hurt him before, and the idea that he came so close now, did have him a bit nervous. Everything really was just a complete mess it seemed, but Shuichi was determined to get to the bottom of things and fix them if he could. With new resolve, he got himself cleaned up and into new fresh clothes before hauling himself back into bed to work on getting himself pulled back together, body and mind.

The next day, Shuichi woke feeling at least better than the day before, but definitely still sore and weak. He laid in bed for a while before finally giving in to his temptations and pulling out his phone to call Yuki; simply unable to stop himself from worrying. The phone rang, and rang, until it rang out and redirected to Yuki's voice-mail. Naturally, he wasn't deterred and immediately tried again. Voice-mail. He was really starting to worry by that point and so was slightly more frantic as he tried again. The line rang a handful of times before finally, it picked up.

"How are you so annoying even from so far away?" Yuki's voice came out harsh and a little hoarse through the phone's speaker, but it was still a relief to hear for Shuichi.

"Yuki! Are you ok?! I've been so worried!"

"Well knock it off. Worry about your own problems and stop calling me."

"But Yuki...I can't stop worrying about you. I need to see you, we need to talk about everything and whatever is going on with you!"

"There is nothing going on with me, idiot. You're the one that went and got yourself attacked, not me."

"Don't lie to me! I know there is something weird going on! Let me help Yuki!" There was a short silence and Shuichi could make out the faint sound of a clearly frustrated growl.

"You really don't know when to quit, do you?"

"I won't quit on you."

"Fine. You can come over once you can properly walk on your own. I don't want you dying on my doorstep. You need to come get your shit out of my house anyway."

"Really?! Ok! Thank you Yuki! I promise I'll get better as fast as I can!"

"Don't rush on my account. Seriously."

"Heh, ok. I'll see you soon! Drink water and take a shower!" He replied happily, clearly either dense or in complete denial about how the conversation actually went.

"Shut up already." Was all the reply he got before the line clicked and went dead.

Over the next three days, Shuichi was more resolved than ever to focus on his recovery so that he could start working on whatever was going on with the broody blonde. Having a goal of being able to see Yuki again, did do a great deal to help him stay on track and take better care of himself. He had made sure to get as much rest as possible, cleaned his wounds and kept fresh bandages on them, and managed to eat at least three times a day like he was supposed to. The whole time, he told Hiro every chance that he got, just how grateful he was for letting him stay and for all his help and support; and of course Hiro always insisted that that was exactly what friends were for.

By the time the fourth day came around, Shuichi felt almost like his usual self again, and was ready to put his recovery behind him to focus on Yuki's. He woke up on that fourth day and had a big breakfast before packing his bags and getting ready to go back to Yuki's; considering that he didn't actually have anywhere else to go either way. Hiro was still firmly against this idea however, and now once again decided to voice those concerns as Shuichi headed towards the door.

"You really don't have to go. You know you can stay here for as long as you want."

"I know, but I can't keep mooching off you forever. Besides, Yuki needs me."

"I'm guessing there is still no way I can talk you out of all this Yuki business?"

"No way. I know you don't like Yuki very much...but I really love him, so I have to try and fix things between us."

"I know you love him...but he DID dump you right before all this, in case you forgot. You sure it's not better to just cut your losses and try to move on?" Shuichi gave a little dismissive wave of his hand and a grin at that.

"He dumps me all the time. He doesn't mean it. He is just cranky, heh." Hiro couldn't help but to roll his eyes at just how overly devoted the boy was.

"Well I still think its a bad idea, but I know I can't stop you, so just try to be careful ok? Don't let him be shitty to you."

"I'll be careful, I promise."

"Alright then. And don't forget that we need you back in the studio Monday."

"Yup! I'll be there! I won't let you guys down!" He chimed before grabbing his bag and making his way eagerly out the door.

Hiro just couldn't fight a grin when Shuichi seemed back to his old self; at least feeling glad to send him off fully recovered and happy. Deep down however, he had an intense sinking feeling as he watched his best friend slowly disappear down the walk way and into his waiting cab. It was true that he knew all too well that once Shuichi set his mind to something, there was no stopping him, but that didn't stop him from wishing he could change his mind about leaving. He watched the cab until it was out of sight, and then closed the door gently with a heavy sigh and a heavy heart; knowing that this was unlikely to end with a happily ever after.

TBC