Chapter 10

"What do you mean it doesn't look good? What doesn't look good?" Kai asked, lashing out at the bit-beast.

"I've said far too much already. You'll have to talk to her yourself, the hospital, check the children's ward, you'll probably find her there." Denzelle advised, going to close the door.

Kai's hand rammed against the door to keep her from shutting him out, "Don't lock me out here, explain to me, what's going on?" he asked.

Denzelle stopped, opening the door again but not allowing him in, she stepped closer to him, almost startling the shaken boy. She ran a hand along his cheek, tears in her own eyes. "Go find her, talk to her, be afraid, just say something. Not to me, to her!" With that Denzelle disappeared in a flash of white light and the apartment door closed by itself in an instant.

Kai shook his head, turning round he ran, making his way to the closest hospital where Denzelle had told him that Tori would be. He shivered as he ran there the whole way, something inside him made him want to make sure she was okay though a part of him actually scolded him for getting close to her, especially before he knew all the facts.

Arriving at the hospital, he asked around for directions to the children's ward and stopped in the doorway, eyes widening at the sight before him.

Tori sat on the end of a bed that a little girl with a broken arm was lying in. Her auburn hair fell elegantly over her shoulders, as she did when she dressed up, she looked very pretty but he couldn't help but notice the pale face and the slight shivering. In spite of this, her voice was still strong as she sang to the children in a sweet voice to some music that was playing on a recorder on the table.

"Meguriau kiseki to
(miracle power)
Kakegae no nai toki wo
(special time forever)
Zenbu taisetsu ni shite
Ikite yukeru
Ikusen no omoi
(thousand words)
Yozora ni kiete yuku
(twinkle star forever)
Ima shika dekinai koto
Yaritogetai
I wanna be with you.
My best friend
(I'm proud of you)
Zutto issho ni
(feel my heart)
(please, please, please)
(my best friend)"

Tori smiled at all the cheering kids before standing up, she quietly told them all to get well soon and made her way out of the room and past Kai, who still looked on into the ward. "How long are you going to keep standing there?" she asked him.

"I didn't know you could speak Japanese." Kai said, blinking, finding he was distracted from the original reason as to why he was there, "Hell I didn't even know you could sing." He added.

"I don't like to sing that much, I do sometimes, and if it made the kids feel any better than I was all for it." Tori replied, not turning to look at him, "How did you know I was here?" she asked him.

"A certain bit-beast told me."

"Traitor." Tori muttered.

"So why are you here? Singing to little kids no less?"

"I get a physical every month and cheer up the kids at the same time."

"I'm in the dark but I'm not stupid, it's more than a physical, something's wrong."

"To think, a few days ago I was telling you about the same things." Tori said, smiling at him, "I don't have time to argue, I'll be at the Dojo later." With that Tori walked on down the halls, leaving Kai alone with the rage that brunt inside. "Oh but Kai…I'd get out of here if I were you." Tori suggested from down the hall, indicating over his shoulder.

Though Kai hated to admit it, she was right and he decided to get out of the hospital quickly, apparently if kids saw a blader round a hospital they'd have a damn field day and last thing he wanted was to be around kids at the time. He wasn't about to give up so easily though, he planned to get more answers out of her than she could ever get out of him.

---About An Hour Later---

Tori walked out of the room she had entered before leaving Kai, bowing towards the doctor and nurse who had treated her. She walked along the corridors of the busy hospital, smiling at all the patients and nurses that passed by, some giving her concerned looks. How'd they all know what was wrong with her? Damn nurses and their gossiping ways. She walked out of the hospital doors and down the path to go to the Dojo to meet the others. She suddenly heard footsteps behind her and she shot around to look at who was following her, "Don't sneak up on a person like that, Kai!"

"I wasn't sneaking." Kai said flatly.

"Sure you weren't." Tori said, turning and continued to walk.

"Tell me what's going on Tori." Kai ordered.

Tori sighed and turned to face him, her hand on her handbag strap tightening, "I'm only going to tell you the truth because I need your support." She said. Kai stood opposite her, silent as he waited for her to explain, "I need to say that I'm ok but I can tell you the truth about this."

"Hurry it up already!"

"I only have about 5 months left to live." Tori told him quietly. She slowly took in the look on Kai's face, confusion, pain, anger, it was all there. "I've got a brain tumour, I've known for a long time now and I don't have a problem with it anymore."

"What? There's a chance you'll recover right?!"

Tori turned and began to walk on, Kai following close behind her to hear her speak, "There's surgery but the chances of that working are slim and applying for something like that would be a joke." She said with a supportive smile.

"This isn't a laughing matter!" Kai yelled angrily at her. "If there's any chance of that surgery working than take it."

"I don't want to waste what's left of my life."

"So basically you're asking me to support a suicide attempt."

"It's not suicide!"

Kai grabbed her shoulder, and spun her around to look at him. "So how can you do this to a person?" he asked her.

"Do what?"

"Let someone get so close to you when you're just going to leave them by themselves in a couple of months."

Tori stood there, the tears quickly surfacing in her eyes as she stood there staring back at him as she didn't have an answer.

"You don't have an answer do you?" Kai yelled angrily. "I can't believe it." He whispered, letting go of her. "How could you be so cold?" he lashed out.

"I don't want to be treated as someone who's about to die, I want to be treated like a friend."

"You should have told us the truth from the start."

"I didn't take it as a big deal." Tori told him truthfully, stepping forward.

Kai stepped away from her, glaring coldly at her, "Yeah well it is a big deal. Maybe you didn't think it would be to me but what about the others?"

"I'm sorry, Kai."

"If you're so sorry then go back to that hospital and get that surgery done!"

Tori turned round so he wouldn't see her tears as she walked on, "It's not that easy." She whispered.

They both entered the Dojo's gates, Kai still fuming with rage though his eyes shadowed so no one could really see. "Hey, guys." Tyson greeted.

"Hey, Kai, what's wrong?" Max asked, seeing Kai's anger clearly.

"Ask Tori!!" Kai growled, walking inside and to his room.

Tori shut her eyes and sighed, opening them again she walked into the Dojo, sitting on the ground by herself for a minute till the others joined her. "What's he talking about, Tori?" Ray asked, sitting down next to her.

"He's just upset…that I'm going to die in a few months." Tori said, looking up at them.

"What?!"

"Yeah, I'm suffering from a brain tumour and I don't have that much time left."

"Isn't there something you could do?" Max asked, tears stinging his own eyes.

---Flashback---

"I didn't take it as a big deal." Tori told him truthfully, stepping forward.

Kai stepped away from her, glaring coldly at her, "Yeah well it is a big deal. Maybe you didn't think it would be to me but what about the others?"

---End Flashback---

"No there isn't but look, guys…I don't want to be treated any differently than you've treated me since we met. I don't want to be treated like I can't do anything for myself, alright?"

The others all looked at each other confusedly, pain clearly seen in all of their eyes at the thought but they couldn't help but nod, they just didn't want to do anything that could hurt her, thinking that if she wanted them to treat her like they always did then they had to do it for her.

Tori smiled happily, "Thanks guys, you're the greatest!" she said, hugging them all.

"But what are we going to do about Kai?" Tyson asked very quietly, still taking in the fact that Tori was going to die soon but trying to change subject a little.

"I'll talk to him about it a little later." Tori told them, nodding.

---Two Hours Later---

Tori walked up the stairs to Kai's room, a little happy that the others accepted what was going on with her though upset that it depressed Kai so much. She knocked on his bedroom door, no answer. She opened the door ajar and peeked inside, Kai lying on his bed staring at the ceiling in thought. He turned to look at who was at the door, seeing her there he turned away from her onto his side. "Don't be like that, Kai." Tori whispered, closing the door behind her. "Dieing isn't my choice."

"You have the chance to save yourself, you could take it but you won't." Kai's voice broke through the silence angrily.

Tori walked over to where she could see him, sitting on the ground, drawing her knees up to her chest, "It's not easy, Kai." She whispered, "I'd much rather be limited to time and live that time the best I can, then to live a lifetime that means nothing to me. Can't I just live my last few months well?" she asked.

"How long have you been going to hospital for this?" Kai asked, opening his eyes and sitting up.

"Just this once ever since I got here." Tori answered, smiling lightly. "See? It's not like I'm going to be living my last few months in hospital." She said, standing up.

"Yeah."

Tori placed a hand out in front of him and Kai looked past that to the sweet smile planted on her lips, "Come on, everyone's coming to my place for dinner and a movie."

Kai pushed past her hand and walked out of the room. Tori ran after him and before Kai got down the stairs she placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry." She whispered again.

Kai just shrugged her hand off of him and met up with the others waiting for them outside. "Shall we go?" Max asked.

"Well everyone's here so yes, Max, we shall go." Tori said with a laugh.

They all made their way to Tori's apartment, taking their time, talking and laughing with each other, except Kai of course. He was at the back, furthest away from the others but most importantly, Tori. Ray paused and waited for Kai as they walked together, "Why are you so angry with Tori?" Ray asked him.

"No reason."

"You two argue about everything, that I know but this seems big. Is it about her illness?"

"Drop it, Ray."

"If it is, you can't blame her for it, there's nothing she can do."

"There is something she could do, she just chooses not to." Kai said through gritted teeth.

"What are you going on about?"

"Just drop it and don't bring up the subject again."

"Fine." Ray muttered, walking on.

'I can't believe she's going to die…after I got so close…'

'You didn't know.'

'But I should've.'

'This doesn't need to affect your friendship with her though.'

'She's going to die, Dranzer, how could I be friends with her when I'm just going to lose her later?'

'You can't change the facts but maybe it'll be good for the both of you to still remain friends.'

'Just when you think life can't get any worse, it does.' Kai thought finally as they all entered the apartment together.

Everyone except Tori sat down on the couch while she took the phone off the kitchen counter, "So what do you guys want to order?" she asked. "I'm thinking…pizza." She said, jumping onto the sofa next to Ray.

"Sounds good."

They each took it in turns with the phone saying what they wanted on their pizzas, Tori tossed the phone to Kai who was last but he only tossed it back to her. "Not hungry." He said simply.

Tori sighed, soon ending the call. If he didn't wan t to eat, she couldn't force him, especially now that he didn't trust her as much.

The food came quickly, and all were quick to dig into their food. Especially Tori who hadn't eaten since before breakfast but she couldn't help but see the tired and drained look on Kai's face as he stared at the ground. She got up and ran to the kitchen, coming back to the living room with a small plate and a slice of pizza on it. She knelt down and handed it to him, the most worried look on her face that any of those in the room had ever seen on her.

"You can have it." Kai told her.

The female teenager placed the plate in his hands, "No, I'm not going to be able to eat the whole pizza so you can take this." Tori said. She went back to sitting in her original place, finishing off a slice of pizza, sometimes glancing up at Kai to see if he was eating. Thankfully he was, which actually made her feel so much better and the light throbbing that was going on in her head subsided shortly after. In the end, they decided not to put on a movie after all, instead they just kept talking the whole time until the conversation was interrupted by the phone ringing.

Tori picked up the phone quickly, "Konban wa." She greeted. Her eyes widened slightly and she got off the sofa, idicating to the others that she'd only be a minute before she ran into her room. "Yeah, I told them."

"How did they react?" Mr Dickinson asked on the other end of the line.

"I told them that there was nothing I could do about it and they accepted it. Though Kai knows the truth, that there's surgery so he took it the hardest out of the lot." Tori explained quietly. She turned round, seeing Kai standing in the door way, casually leaning against the frame. "I'm going to have to get back to you in the morning, good night." She ended the call quickly.

"You and Mr Dickinson talk regularly?" Kai asked her.

"He checks up on me a lot, while in Japan he's actually my guardian."

"And even he can't convince you to go through with the surgery?"

"I'm stubborn."

"Yeah, I noticed." Kai said, closing the door behind him as he entered, "Why can't you just go through with the surgery?"

"Why can't you just accept the fact that you need help?" Tori retorted, sitting on her bed.

"I'll admit, I do need help with things and just when I find one person that I'm really ready to let help me, I find out she's going to die soon."

Tori stared on, shifting uncomfortably on the bed.

A/N: Hey everyone, how was that chapter eh? Any good? Please leave me a review with your thoughts, I really would like them. I will have the next chapter up in a couple of days, hopefully. In the mean time, please review, that'll push me to keep writing. Take care!