A/N: Fayt and Albel are back and Albel gets to torture Fayt again. Poor Fayt. Oh well, he likes it. And yes, I do plan on finishing this story, just like all the other ones. I don't know how many times i've said this before, but i'll say it again...continue to review, fave, and alert stories that you like. It's very helpful. But please, please, please...if i'm not getting to a story you want, e-mail me and tell me...or tell me so in your reviews...lists are very nice. I have my own lists...with all the stories people beg me to finish at the top. I want to work on what people want to read. Thanks in advance for any help in that.

Disclaimer: Yeah...you know the drill. I don't own it. Unfortunately.

Fayt insisted on visiting Albel each day. They fell into a sort of routine, with Fayt bringing varying amounts of money, depending on how numb Fayt felt at the moment. Sometimes Fayt would leave the alley so wounded that when he staggered back to his dorm, his friend would immediately call an ambulance to take him to the hospital. And then Fayt would be missing for a few days or weeks while he got stitches or had broken limbs set. Albel would ask around, find out where Fayt was. He was not overly concerned about Fayt and he would always be ready to inflict another injury on him when he recovered.

Fayt took it all without complaint, even when Albel dealt him more pain than was really necessary. Sometimes Albel was in a foul mood and he ignored the meager ten Fayt gave him and would punish Fayt's body with blows worthy of hundreds of dollars.

Fayt completely trusted Albel, even though Albel didn't trust himself. And his fears seemed to be realized the time he almost killed Fayt. Albel was in a particularly bad mood and he continued to beat Fayt long after Fayt's blood was dripping down his arms and face. Then Albel finally backed up ant stared at the bloody mess he had made of Fayt. Fayt shrugged off Albel's halfhearted apology for overdoing it and tried to limp away, but winced at the pain of his injuries.

"Might as well take you to the hospital," Albel grumbled.

"I'm fine," Fayt whispered. But the effort of speaking seemed to drain him. He put his hand over his stomach and doubled over in pain as he coughed and spat blood out onto the pavement.

"No, you're not fine," Albel said firmly. "In your condition, you can't walk back to the dorms and even if you could, your buddies would send you to the hospital as soon as you got there anyway."

"True," Fayt sighed.

Albel helped Fayt limp to his old beat-up car. Fayt's car was newer and would have been nicer to drive, but Albel's car was closer. The care jerked along, making Fayt gasp in pain.

"Why?" Albel growled.

"Why what?" Fayt asked calmly, his hands clutching the seat to steady himself.

"Why aren't you dead yet?"

"Because you haven't killed me," Fayt said matter-of-factly.

"I could have. I've come close."

"I trust you," Fayt said softly. "You'll know when to stop."

"But what if I do kill you."

Fayt shrugged. "If you do, you do."

"If you don't care about living so much, why don't you just commit suicide?"

"I couldn't," Fayt said sadly. "I don't have the willpower. Death would be welcome, but dying scares me. Death would end all the loneliness and emptiness, but each time you hurt me, I have more to live for. You're the only thing keeping me alive."

Albel glanced in his rearview mirror. Fayt looked completely serious. Albel shuddered. He didn't want this responsibility.

"There's the hospital," Fayt said wearily. He lifted his arm to point and then dropped it heavily to his side.

Albel helped Fayt out of the car and half carried the weakening youth inside the building. Fayt was quickly losing a lot of blood. Blood dripped in a trail from the car to the door.

The receptionist took one look at the two boys before pushing the emergency call button. Albel's shirt was soaked with Fayt's blood and Fayt was gasping for breath and clinging to Albel for support.

Fayt was rushed off to Intensive Care. A few nurses tried to send Albel there as well but he pushed them aside growling, "Don't you know a healthy person when you see one?"

They kept Albel for a few moments to ask him about what happened. Albel made up a convincing lie and they seemed to buy it. Then he went back to his dorm room to clean up. There was nothing else he could do. He would simply wait for Fayt to return. There was no way Albel was visiting him in the hospital.

It was months before Fayt returned to campus. He was on crutches and his whole chest was bandaged. Fayt smiled at Albel as he hopped over to where he was standing. Fayt started to rattle off his list of injuries. "Punctured lung, two cracked ribs, broken leg, a cut with ten stitches, an infected-"

"Alright, I get it," Albel growled. "I beat the shit out of you. But now it's all healed, right?"

"Yeah, everything except my leg. But I can still go to school like this." Fayt smiled cheerfully. "So, since I'm still recovering, maybe I'll only pay you five this time."

"hell no," Albel growled. "I'm not beating up on an injured person."

Fayt pouted. "You mean I suffered through all that surgery for nothing?"

"You're a pain freak. I know you liked it."

"But it was so boring just having to lie in bed. You didn't even come visit me," Fayt accused.

"Well, since you liked being miserable and since I've never visited you before, I figured, why start now?"

"True," Fayt sighed. "But it's good if something besides pain excites me. I don't want to die now in case my life gets better. You're helping, I think. I would probably have been happy if you had come seen me."

"And then you would have tried to convince me to beat you up in your hospital bed," Albel muttered irritably. "I know you too well, Fayt."

Fayt laughed, his eyes shining. "Yes, you know me. You're probably one of the few people who understand me. You know I need to have pain to survive, but then again, you're my friend and so you want me to get better too. So I guess the throbbing of my broken leg will tide me over until it heals up. Then you better hurt me again."

Albel rolled his eyes. "You're so weird, Fayt."

Fayt smiled. "I know, but you will let me talk to you anyway. Maybe you need the money. How about I come by tomorrow and pay you to hang out with me?"

Albel let out a long sigh. "Oh, I suppose."

"Good. I'll see you then." Fayt limped off to his class, whistling happily.