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The story about a girl who taught a boy a little something called hope...

C R O S S

Chapter E I G H T

World on Fire

"Can you...can you stay with me tonight?"


"I don't want to be all alone..."

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It was a peaceful night as the moon loomed tranquilly over the dark night sky while Tohru and her grandfather were sharing a quiet meal of rice and beef stew at the square brown table. Grey clouds shifted slowly towards the moon, enveloping the light and darkening the sky as Tohru chewed softly on a piece of tender meat, smilling across the table at her grandpa who smiled gently back at her.

Suddenly his smile faltered and his bowl clattered onto the floor, shattering it into pieces as he clutched his left arm, his mouth hanging wide open in pain as he gasped out,

"T-Tohru...! Get help...!"

"Grandpa!"

Sirens echoed through the streets as the police and the paramedics rushed her grandpa into the nearest hospital, while Tohru clutched his hand tightly, watching her unconscious grandfather lay on the stretcher with wide eyes.

Please be alright...

God... please help him!

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It was 11pm and Kyo was snoring peacefully in his bed, exhausted from work, until the repetitive rings of the phone next to him burst into the silence, waking up a grouchy Kyo. He grumbled curses under his breath as he grabbed the phone off the cradle angrily in the middle of the fourth ring, shouting out in a foul tone,

"What!"

"Kyo?"

Tohru's panicked voice entered the other line, causing Kyo to shoot up from his bed,

"Tohru?"

Her tear filled voice was enough to wake him up completely as he pressed the phone against his ear, nearly yelling out,

"What's wrong!"

"I-I'm sorry... to call you so late at night... it's just that... it's just that..."

"What the hells the matter? Where are you?"

A silence filled the line as she finally whispered out,

"The hospital..."

"THE HOSPITAL!"

"It's not me. It's... it's my grandpa...he had a heart attack."

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Damn... let him be okay!

Kyo rushed through the dimly lit halls of the hospital and stopped when he saw Tohru sitting in the waiting room with Uo and Hana, he slowly walked towards them and froze when he saw that her face was covered in tears.

"...Is...everything alright?"

Tohru looked up and her eyes lit up a little as she let out a small smile while clasping her hands together,

"I hope so."

Hana pat her friend on the back,

"Everything will be okay Tohru-chan. Your grandpa is a fighter."

Uo nodded and squeezed Tohru's hand gently,

"Yeah, he's going to get through this, okay?"

"Thanks guys."

Kyo opened his mouth, wanting to give her words of comfort as well, but the opening of the door averted everyone's attention. A doctor stepped out and Tohru jumped out of her chair, rushing over to him,

"Is he going to be okay?"

The doctor patted her shoulder with reassurance,

"He's going to be alright. He just needs to stay here for the night to recuperate though, but don't worry, it was only a minor heart attack, and it's a good thing that you called us right away. You did a good job, young lady."

Tohru exhaled with relief and bowed her head down,

"I'm so glad he's alright. I don't know how to thank you."

The doctor chuckled,

"You don't have to thank me. It's my job. You may go visit him if you'd like."

Her eyes brightened up as she glanced at her three companions quickly,

"Really! Thank you so much!"

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"Grandpa?"

The whole room was empty when Tohru nervously entered her grandfather's room.

She saw him laying on the white bed with a peaceful look on his face and watched him breathe for a moment, feeling her heart warm. She reached out and touched his limp hand and sat down onto the seat next to his bed, crying softly beside his sleeping body as she choked out,

"I'm so glad that you're okay."

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It was around one in the morning and Kyo was walking Tohru home from the hospital after Uo and Hana had left. It was a silent walk, and Kyo had been torturing himself by trying to find ways to make her feel better, but no words had come out. He sighed to himself when they stopped in front of the church building and Tohru leaned against the door for a moment. She looked up at him and gave him a small smile, uttering out softly,

"Thanks for coming."

"It was nothing. I didn't do anything anyway."

Tohru leaned forward, and insisted sincerely,

"Yes you did! I was so happy when you came."

Kyo blushed and looked away, changing the subject quickly,

"Well it's a good thing that your grandpa is alright."

"Yes."

He thought that she'd be happier, but instead, he only saw sadness lurking in her face,

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"It's something."

She sighed and curled her hair behind her ears absent-mindedly as she admitted tentatively,

"I'm just scared that it might happen again...I mean...if I lost my grandpa I don't know what I would do. I know it sounds silly...but he's the only family I have left."

He gulped and stood there like stone, feeling the familiar lump forming in his throat as he drew a blank in his mind once again, not knowing how to help her; after all, he had never been the one to comfort others before. Kyo swallowed hard and replied lamely,

"It's not gonna happen again...the doctors said he'd be alright, so don't worry."

She dabbed at her eyes with her fingertips and laughed softly,

"You're right. I shouldn't be worrying."

Kyo shuffled his shoes and cleared his throat,

"So...you should um... get some sleep. You're probably really tired."

She looked at the door behind her for a long time, an unsettling feeling of fear forming in the pits of her stomach as she turned back to him with a question in her eyes,

"Can you...can you stay with me tonight?"

Tears filled her eyes as she bowed her head down in shame,

"I don't want to be all alone..."

She covered her eyes with her face, not wanting him to see her tears as she whispered out shakily,

"I'm so sorry..."

Kyo clenched his teeth together as he slowly lifted his hand up robotically and placed it on her warm shoulder, his heart tremoring in his chest as he croaked out,

"I'm gonna stay... so stop your crying."

Her hands fell from her face as she stared up at him with gleaming eyes, asking with hope in her small voice,

"Really?"

"Really."

When I saw a real smile form on her lips for the first time that day... I couldn't help but feel a burst of happiness set itself off in my heart because I had somehow made her smile.

I guess actions say more than what words can.

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