Chapter 8

Hahaha... This is embarrassing. I've been all stressed about school, and I was really nervous because I thought I wouldn't be able to upload for a really long time, but...turns out that I had the new chapter buried amongst my schoolwork documents all along.

Funny story: I was at school, working on a project with my friend, and points to this Word document and she's like: "what's that?" and I wasn't sure, so I clicked on it. And then this story's new chapter popped up and I was going batshit crazy, trying to close it before anyone saw it and wondered what the F was going on...

And then my laptop froze!

Thank goodness it was a laptop, though, so I slammed the screen shut and I was breathing really hard. From my reaction, you'd think I was hiding top-secret military plans or something.
My friend didn't say anything, but I'm pretty sure she was thinking exactly this: '_, you are utterly batshit insane.'

So in response to the Guest Reviewer "random person":

YES! YES! THE NEW CHAPTER IS HERE!

Thanks for reviewing, too. I really appreciate the support, and your comment made me start rethinking and writing the story again. The bad news is that this chapter may have to satisfy you for *gasp* a month, since...well, I already went over the schoolwork thing. I have a bunch of culminating projects and exams close by, all of which are worth like a third of my mark. (Yikes!)

I apologize for the author's note that interrupted the last chapter. I don't know what I was thinking, putting that there. It was completely unprofessional.
Speaking of ANs, I am so sorry that this AN is really long.

So, without further ado...enjoy the new chapter...because you won't see another one for a month or so ; /

Kyoya's fingers rattled on the counter as he waited for the pharmacist. These damn drugstores could take forever. You know what? Forget the fucking restaurants. The drug stores really ought to improve their services.

Then again, the whole world could sure use a bitch-slap. Everyone was just a lazy bum. Including him.

He'd seen some guys smoking on his way in. The tobacco smoke and made his eyes sting or water and caused him to choke, but he was actually proud of that. Smoking was a hard habit to break, but when you had a sister like Mijuki, who knew the entire best cigarette hiding places, they had managed to crack it together. All it took was a couple of hiding spots, some painful withdrawals, and several particularly loud arguments. Yeah. So, maybe not as easy as he made it sound. But anyways, it was over.

The person helping him looked new. Then again, he couldn't remember what he'd eaten for breakfast today - if he had any - so he didn't bother asking. Oh well. It excused them from his wrathful frustration at their failure of services.

"Here you are." She handed him a brown paper bag, with the prescriptions inside, which made him scowl.

The infamous brown paper bag. He hated it.

These were the kind of paper bags you brought shamefully cheap take-out or your mom's embarrassing homemade lunch in. They were the paper bags people used when passing off the pot in high school. He really hated those paper bags. They gave you something to be ashamed of; just like everything else you put in that shit.

Another guy, his age, walked up to him with a freaky smile. He was wearing a link shirt underneath his lab coat, along with blue lipstick and gloves. His marvelously pink hair made Kyoya want to puke. Who was this guy? A My Little Pony fan— A Brony? There was even a star tattoo on his cheek.

"Why, hello," he gushed. Kyoya glared at him. The ruder side of him wanted to spit and call his manner gay, but he slapped himself mentally for thinking like that. He really had to change his mindset, especially on those sorts of things. "Can I help you?" He growled.

"Why, no," gushed Brony Boy. "That's my job, you see." He gave a falsetto, tinkling laugh, which earned him a suspicious stare from Kyoya.

"I was wondering if you'd like to be in our clinical trial program?"

"Not interested."

"It's really quite a helpful, educational, and often harmless-"

"See this jacket? I've seen enough harm, buddy."

"Wonderful! Then you'd have no problem helping us with-"

"I told you I'm not interested."

"It's a generous pay, I promise you. $100 per label-"

"You forgot to mention the insurance money you won't cough up if my hair falls out, if I go blind, if I happen to be suddenly infected with cancer..." With a snort, Kyoya spun around, meaning to get the hell out of that shop and away from Brony Boy ASAP.

"Sir, this is an opportunity you cannot afford-"

"Clearly not. I'm not ready to sacrifice my drug virginity." Kyoya shook the brown paper bag in his face. "You people give me enough drugs to choke on, already." He walked away, but knew that freak was still smiling. Being honest, the guy was kind of starting to scare him. Kyoya might have felt bad for what he said, if not for the fact that he creep was still smiling, as if frozen within a happy moment in time. Who knows? Maybe he was one of those clinical guinea pigs gone insane; he snorted a bit at the thought.

Kyoya's feet had led him up a small, familiar little road. It wasn't until he burst his bubble of thought and looked around that he realized this spot was familiar.

Once again, he let his feet take the lead. They carried him up another block, then into what first looked like a small, innocent, lush little park. They tread along black pavement, which served as a road, then veered off to the right once he passed the large maple tree. He walked past several rows of tall tombstones until he reached one in the middle, the tiniest amongst those around it.

Demure's body had been given to his grassland tribe mates, so he might be buried with them. All of them had been crying when his body was returned, so Kyoya couldn't tell which of them were his parents. But he still got his special star, and an honoured burial back in America. Kyoya had been one of the few people who attended the meagre funeral. That, and Nile. And that was when Mijuki, his sister, had come forward since ten years ago, and convinced Kyoya to come home. He'd been so burdened by grief at the time he agreed - but now, reflecting on his decision, it had been one of the wiser.

The tombstone read:

DEMURE

1990 - 2014

There was even a bunch of rotten flowers still on his grave. Something about that really made him mad.

People left wasteful things like flowers and stuff - stuff that the dead couldn't even appreciate. Because they were dead. Duh. Might as well write a poem or do a little dance on top of their friggin body, that would never be performed again. How could anyone dead appreciate what you did, after all? Something like Remembrance Day - now that was meaningful. A minute of silence, tribute, and thought? For Kyoya, he thought it really meant something. The only problem with it? None of the disrespectful little shits gave a shit. All that kids wanted to do was gossip about their clothes and hair and crushes, or try and prick each other to death with those poppy pins.

Kyoya sighed. Since when had his thoughts grown so... Despondent?

He glanced at the pills in his hand. Tearing open the package, he glowered at the bottles that sat inside.

"Here."

With that growl, he threw each of the medicine bottles to the earth and stamped them with his foot. The gesture was neither kind to the grave, nor helpful; if anything, it was hypocritical when compared to the revelations he'd just had.

Satisfied, he shook loose mud from his shoe and stepped back. He released the empty, ugly paper bag and let it fly freely in the incoming wind. He turned back to Demure's grave, relief showing clear on his face.

"There. You need it more than I do."

It was waste of seventy dollars he was walking from, but somehow, the money didn't bother him nearly as much as taking those pills did. And a strange, insane part of him though that Demure, had he witnessed this result, would have been very satisfied as well.

Toby was bursting at the seams with excitement as Zeo walked into the room. A Tuesday had never seemed happier, yet longer.

As was his usual routine, Zeo dumped his bicycle behind the doorway, at settled into the stool at Toby's bedside. Slinging a heavy bag off his shoulder, doubtlessly filled with numerous textbooks and assignments, he gave a tired groan. "Hey."

"Hey." Toby was wondering if Zeo noticed how surprisingly chipper he was, when he saw the bruise by Zeo's eye. "Zeo!" Horrified, he ran his fingers over the mark. "Are...are you okay?"

Zeo shook his head, brushing Toby's fingers away. "Yeah. Just got in a little...accident."

Toby wasn't convinced, but knew better than to ask - Zeo was unlikely to tell him if he really didn't want to.

"Okay." He leaned back again, but didn't allow himself to relax just yet. "Did you...at least put ice or something on it?" Zeo's only response was a hurried nod.

"Yeah. Just relax," he sighed at noticing how tense his friend was. "It's not like I got run over by a jet."

Toby's lips curled back into a smile as he was reminded. "Speaking of jets..." He began in a low voice. "You'll never guess who I saw on the news."

Zeo gave him a blank stare.

Toby sighed inwardly. Well, at the very least, he called it on the guessing.

"Masamune," he whispered with a gleeful grin. "Masamune came back to America!"

He was expecting something, anything; a big whoop, a sudden burst of tears, denial and disbelief, or a chuckle and slap on the back, telling him what a good joke that would be.

It was none of those. Instead, Zeo froze, and something very close to rage flickered in his eyes. "Wait. Where did you find out?"

"I told you," said Toby. "On the news."

Zeo's jaw twisted. Confused, Toby went on. He wasn't sure he understood the problem here.

"Yeah. You know how the WBBA is moving to America? Well, he happened to come along. With his friend, and teammate from seven years ago. He's the new president. We could have him visit, Zeo. This weekend. All we have to do is call the Konzern Mansion. That's where they're staying. It's all over TV, Zeo, haven't you watched it?"

Zeo had pushed himself to his feet and was staring out the window. Toby couldn't see his face, but he knew something was wrong.

"Zeo?" He asked quietly. "What is it?"

Zeo's voice was shaking. "He shouldn't have come back to America."

"What?" Toby was horrified. "What are you talking about, Zeo? He ought to come and visit!"

"He didn't come to visit, Toby," Zeo murmured, his head pressed against the glass. "He came to congratulate his friend and then fly away to Japan."

Toby scoffed. "You don't know that." Inside of him, bitter resentment had swelled up - but whether it was at Masamune, or perhaps at Zeo's doubtful feelings, he couldn't be sure.

Zeo glared out the window. He couldn't seem to tear his gaze from the glass, as if he didn't want to glared at Toby. "Would a friend give you a black eye?"

"What?" Toby's body went numb when he heard that. "No, you've got to be mistaken."

Zeo snorted. "Our paths crossed two days back. He greeted me with a nice punch in the face."

Toby was aghast. "I don't believe it."

Zeo's voice was quiet and his eyes seemed almost more pitying towards Toby than himself. "You might as well get used to it. People change in seven years."

"You haven't," Toby argued.

Zeo smiled. "We both have. Just in ways that complement each other."

"Yeah? Like how?" Toby's voice was still bitter; at thinking their friend might have betrayed them.

With a sigh, Zeo sank into the seat beside Toby. "We're always changing. That's why it's so subtle. It starts out with the smaller differences, day by day - even by the hour. We grow into something different from what we were the day before. Always, Toby."

"Huh." Toby stared at the blank TV screen. "I guess being stuck in the hospital doesn't help anyone really notice these changes.

Zeo gave a weak smile. "You'll be out of here soon. You said so yourself, before."

Toby squirmed in his bed. "Yeah, but sometimes soon isn't soon enough." He rested his head back into the pillow. "You mind hanging here again for the evening? Can you get all your homework done in the hospital?" With the new information concerning Masamune, he felt lonelier than ever.

"Sure." As always, Zeo's voice was warm and comforting and gentle towards him. "I'll try and stay till you can fall asleep again."

Toby wasn't sure whether or not he could go to sleep at all. He felt somewhat crushed at realizing that the visit he had wished to see for seven years was already crumbing before it had the chance to he planned. Part of him wanted to call Masamune anyways, and ask why the hell he punched Zeo before bursting into tears and lamenting how much he'd missed him. But cell phones weren't allowed at the hospital; he could always try and use Zeo's, only he'd have to tell him who he was calling - and Zeo would surely prohibit it. The other side of him wanted to let it be, and allow everything to settle without disruption to his peaceful life.

Then again, he could use a bit of disruption, considering that he was so bored. The hospital was hardly an adventurous place, and seeing the same walls and the same treatment for seven years made him think of the place as a home - a senior's home, lacking excitement and filled with dull days.

Toby watched Zeo, dutifully working on his homework. Leaning forward, he tapped one of the answers on his page. "That's wrong."

With a frown, Zeo scratched his chin with his pencil. "Really? I wasn't sure."

"Yeah." Toby's eyes travelled across the page, searching for the origination of the error. "I think it's just a miscalculation."

"Oh. Okay." Erasing the mistake, Zeo then resumed scribbling away, and Toby continued watching him.

'What am I complaining about?' He scolded inwardly. 'I have plenty to be happy for. I'm not dead, for one thing. Zeo's still here, visiting. I'm going back to school. What's so wrong with this picture?'

With that contented thought, he could keep smiling, until he remembered what really bothered him.

It wasn't that anything was wrong, really. It was that something was missing.

Sorry about the length. Please leave a review. I love reviews.

Some of us will be going through tough times at school... Good luck, everyone. Peace out.