Summary: Taichi—every time he "uses" magic, his body grows weaker. Can Yamato save him before it's too late? Yamachi/Taito

Cursed

By: splintered

"Sometimes, it helps talking to the patient," the nice nurse continued, twirling a finger around her pink hair.

Yamato felt himself nod. So it was promise then. He would come to the hospital every single day. If only the strange brunette woke up...

--

True to his word, Yamato could be found sitting at the brunette's bedside every single day. Sometimes his father was with him, standing the corner, watching him. Sometimes he came alone after school (he discovered that it wasn't a far walk from the school to the hospital). His dad would pick him up after work. All the nurses knew him by name now, but they still knew him as the sad blonde boy who visited the comatose brunette and also by various other nicknames...

"Hey Prince Charming, did Sleeping Beauty wake up yet?" one of the male employees called out soon as he saw Yamato enter the hospital.

Yamato shook his head sadly, his blond bangs clung limply to his face.

"Aw, cheer up, boy," the man said, affectionately tousling the boy's hair. "Give 'im a kiss for me will ya?"

Yamato nodded timidly as he made his way to the brunette's room.

"I don't know why you tease him so," the nice nurse with the green eyes whispered over the man's shoulders. "I think it's cute and a little romantic." She was also in the process of reading the The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks.

"Mimi, are you talking about The Notebook or Prince Charming and Sleeping Beauty over there in the next room?" her male co-worker responded.

"Ken, you know what I mean..." She paused for a moment, imagining a younger version of Noah visiting Allie at the hospital. "Both."

Her co-worker arched his brow while shaking his head and clucking his tongue depreciatively. "Women these days..."

To which, Mimi responded suspiciously, "Wait, you read The Notebook?"

"Um...no, actually...My wife took me to go see it..." Kenchi replied sheepishly. "It...it's a sad movie."

"Yeah," she replied, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "...but at least Sleeping Beauty gets a happy ending."

--

It was winter now and Sleeping Beauty was still asleep. Snow had just started falling, covering sidewalks and making the whole ordeal a little more miserable. "You know, you don't have to visit the boy in the hospital," his father had said before he left for work that morning. "I'll go check on him after work."

"But what if he wakes up today," Yamato had answered innocently. "The doctors said that he was getting better." It was true, physically, at least. While other crimes and happenings around Obaida replaced the boy's face on the six 'o clock news, Hiroaki Ishida found himself claiming the boy as a foster parent, under little Yamato's persistent pleas...well, until another adult claimed responsibility for the boy, that is...Or well, at least that was what Hiroaki kept telling himself. Under this oath, the doctors had confided the boy's condition to the reluctant dad. Most of the boy's injuries from the accident were healing nicely—all the broken bones were set— and his condition had grown much more stable over a period of months. However, the doctors were not very hopeful. And if the boy continued to stay in his current comatose form...well, Hiroaki preferred not to think of what that would mean for both Yamato and himself.

"Daaaad," Yamato whined, watching his father's hesitant face.

"Okay," Hiroaki reluctantly agreed. It was also true that both of them had grown quite attached to the boy. "But you're not leaving the house unless...."

Consequently, Yamato found himself wrapped in layers of sweaters, turtlenecks and scarves, earmuffs, mittens, and boots. Still, Yamato remained hopeful. What if the brunette did wake up today?

-

Sure walking in the snow was miserable enough, but Yamato remained hopeful as he made his trek to the Odaiba Hospital. Perhaps, it was the excitement of the snow—which fell like fairy sprinkles—or the fact that Christmas was fast approaching, but today was going to be different, the blonde thought, as he made his way through the snow. Sure enough, he was greeted by sincere grins as he entered those familiar automatic doors.

"Hey, Prince Charming," a man greeted him.

"Hey Kenchi," Yamato grinned back, as he followed the familiar path to the brunette's room.

Mimi smiled with sincerity, her green eyes sparkling as she watched the scene from the Break Room. With a cup of coffee in her hand and a Lurlene McDaniel book in her lap, the nurse inhaled the sweet scent of anticipation and young love.

TBC?

Endnotes: Extra #1

(In the Break Room at the Odaiba Hospital)

Kenchi: Hey Mimi, why do you wear green contacts when your eyes are brown?

Mimi: Shhhh, the readers don't know they're contacts. Besides, I think green eyes are mysterious, don't you agree?

Kenchi: Then, what's so mysterious about your romance novels and fairy tales? They all end the same. I quote, "And they all lived happily ever after."

Mimi: (squeals) I think they're cute!

Kenchi: (shaking his head and clucking) Women, these days...

Author's Notes: Cool, so the word count is finally long enough to qualify as a proper chapter (as short as this chapter is)... Yes, I know it has been a while since I've last updated this, but I've been really busy and then I kinda lost track of where this story was going! ^_^; So I hope you're happy that I finally updated! Thank you Catching Rain, YkittyH, shadowtheo, and krad for reviewing the last chapter. I'm glad you guys liked it. And thank you all for reading this. (I feel like I'm just prolonging the inevitable. I know you guys are all waiting for Taichi to wake up and to know what's going on!). So, I apologize for my horrible writing and rambling, but I would really appreciate it if you review. I'm always looking at what I can do to improve, or just hearing what you think!