Chapter 10

Well, well, well... in spite of all my promises, it has been ONE WHOLE MONTH (and more) since I last updated.

I am so sorry for the delay, but in my defence I've been having trouble accessing a device that will permit me to properly post this sorry chapter. On that note, let me know if something is wrong with the chapter; there's been some difficulties with a mix of text and HTML.

A couple welcomes, from the last update: june3law, BlueButterflyRose, and Water Dragon of the South! Welcome all, to this humble fiction!

Some long-awaited responses to reviewers:

GoldenAngel999: I started this story and I am very much determined to finish it. I still have plans for it; if they go unfinished I will die a very sad person! Yeah; you finally get to see what comes of it, too! Yeah - it's a bit of an inside joke for my friend and I; she always gets it from Second Cup.
Thanks so much! Your reviews have been a great motivator for me.

Bristleclaw: Of course I did! I couldn't forget you! I plan to do so. Here's the chapter!

BlueButterflyRose: It may not seem like it, since it's been a while, but your review was a big wake-up call for me to start writing again. Thank you; this chapter is for you! And keep it going on your writing, too.

Guest: I'm not sure about putting Ryuga in the story...from what I've planned out already, I don't think he'll be an integral part, either...I could put him as chief of police, or some CEO as a joke - but once again: he'll be absent for this story, unless feedback continues to ask for otherwise.

"Toby."

"Masa... Masamune."

"Toby-" Masamune had to put the phone down for a minute; he was in so much shock. When he lifted it back up to his ear, Toby was buzzing with confusion.

"Masamune? Masamune! Are you still-"

"Yeah, sorry." Masamune knew his voice was shaking, but he didn't care. The moment he'd heard that voice on the phone, his heart had basically stopped right on the spot. "I... I'm here." Masamune didn't know what to say. It was like he'd been rehearsing all these lines for a big performance for years, and forgotten them all on the night of the big show.

What did he say to a friend he hadn't talked to for seven years?

"I'm sorry," he blurted out suddenly.

"For what?"

He hardly heard Toby's response; his mouth went on talking for him, as it always did. "Look, I know how you and Zeo feel, and that you must be angry - but please. I know I wasn't there for you, and I'm sorry. But I wanted to win it all for you Toby, I really do, and-"

"Hold on, Masamune." Even over the phone, Toby sounded puzzled. "When did...what did you say when you talked with Zeo?"

Masamune stilled again. Deep in the pocket of the robe, his fist clenched. "Didn't... Zeo tell you?"

"Well...he didn't really say you were here, if that's what you mean."

Masamune's mouth tasted like something metallic. No wonder Toby sounded so strangely forgiving. Zeo had manipulated the situation to his advantage, that bastard...

It took him a moment to realize he said the last two words aloud. "Sorry," he said quickly. "It's just...well, from what he told me... He said you didn't want to talk to me, and wouldn't put me on the guest list that allowed me to come inside."

"There's a guest list?"

Masamune almost laughed at Toby's ignorance. "You've been at this hospital for seven years, and you never knew there was a guest list to let people in."

"Only two years." Toby's tone was grudging. "And no, I didn't know. How should I? No one told me."

Masamune couldn't force the goofy grin off his face. Even after seven long years nothing seemed to have changed between the two of them... Only, much had, and there was still conflict. Growing serious, Masamune wiped the smile off his face and switched back to the previous topic.

"Um...there's some stuff you should know."

"Like?"

Masamune bit his lip and prayed to god, for the first time ever, that Toby wouldn't hate him for the next words that flew out his mouth. "We...got in a fight, because he wouldn't let me see you. I punched him in the face. A couple times, maybe."

Toby was silent for a while; Masamune nearly feared he'd hung up when he spoke again. "I don't know whether to laugh or hang up."

"Don't do it. Hang up, I mean." An awkward pause spilt Masamunems sentence. "Or laugh. Don't laugh, I mean. That'd be - well, mean."

Toby gave a warm-hearted chuckle that dispelled his anxiety. "I already knew about it - but now that I understand why, it's fine - just relax. Still the same old tongue-tied Masamune."

"And the same old talkative Toby," Masamune replied with a lazy smile that he knew his friend unfortunately couldn't see.

Those descriptions were total lies, of course. Usually Masamune was a box of endless chatter - to the point where his friends would have to slap duct tape over his mouth - and Toby was shyer, more introverted. The only place Masamune ever remembered Toby really behaving like his actual self without fret was the Dungeon Gym. Nevertheless, Masamune felt warm and comforted by the welcome memories.

"You have to come over," Toby told him eagerly over the phone. "I'll put you on the guest list, and you can visit whenever you want. You have to tell me about everything you did in Japan, starting from the very beginning."

Masamune laughed. Never had he heard Toby so excited. "Sounds like my specialty."

"Sure is," Toby agreed humorously. "Too bad hospital hours are limited to visitors."

"Then how will I fit everything in?" Masamune groaned jokingly.

"I guess you'll just have to visit more often."

After that good-natured chuckle, conversation fell to a standstill. There was a sniffle out of place a few times, but aside from that, no noise came from either line until Masamune started speaking again.

"Hey... I hope you're serious, right? I can...come visit this weekend, maybe?"

"Of course!" Toby almost sounded shocked he'd asked. "It's been too long Masamune. I need to hear about everything you've done."

"I'm sorry again. I abandoned you."

"Now you're just letting Zeo get to your head," Toby scolded. "Speaking of which," he muttered, his voice darkening, "I have to talk to him about this whole...mishap."

That placed Masamune straight back in his misery. Every time he thought of his spat (though that was putting it mildly) with Zeo, it only worked to depress him.

"God," he muttered, wiping his hand down his face. "How did this get to be so damn complicated?"

"That doesn't matter," Toby assured him firmly. "We'll sort this out somehow, Masamune. Zeo can't forget a friendship like ours so easily. He has to apologize eventually."

"Right," Masamune agreed numbly, but his heart knew that it wasn't true. In the end, there would have to be forgiveness in Zeo's heart for Masamune in order to repair this, not vice versa. How his friend remained so optimistic over the situation he wasn't sure... But he supposed Toby didn't understand just how drastic things were between the two former friends.

"So, you'll be coming over this weekend?" Toby's bright beam of sunshine broke through his cloud of dark thoughts.

"Yeah," Masamune replied more enthusiastically. "Maybe I should bring some friends along? It'd be great if you could meet them."

"Of course!" Toby's voice was pitchy; meaning he was excited. "That'd be awesome!"

"Okay." Whatever depressing weight Masamune had felt in his heart was practically gone. Now, all his anticipation geared him towards the weekend. "I'll be there, I promise. I will!"

"I know that," Toby laughed. "I'll be waiting until-"

Masamune stiffened as his laughter cut off abruptly. Worriedly, he raised the speaker volume on his phone and frantically began calling. "Toby? Toby!"

The next response was barely above a whisper. "I'll see you Masamune, but I've gotta go. Zeo's here."

With that, the line went dead in Masamune's hand.

Slowly, Masamune set down the phone on the table. His thoughts were blowing around in his mind in a spinning whirlwind of confusion. But he went, anyways, and did the only thing he really could have done at the time.

Running through the house like a maniac, he danced the best happy dance he could manage and told everyone who stared at him the excellent news.

The very instant Toby heard the bike chain rattling down the hall he snapped the phone shut and dropped it on his lap. His heartbeat raced at the speed of lightning, and he hastily tried to adjust his position so it looked neutral.

Zeo walked in, evidently laughing at something that a giggling hospital volunteer a few feet away had just told him. As he walked in, he met his friend with a bright smile. "Hey."

That smile was so warm, so familiar that Toby could hardly believe this guy had fought so viciously with Masamune. But, shaking his head, he forced himself to remember his friend's betrayal of covering up Masamune's return to America. Forcing himself to recall the bruise and other unexplained injuries his friend had borne, he crossed his arms and pushed out the angry words.

"I heard you had a fight with Masamune."

Zeo's bright blue eyes were widened in confusion as he spun around. Quietly, he swallowed and nodded. "Yes. I told you that. We met, talked, and he ended up giving me a black eye."

"Because you wouldn't let him visit me."

Zeo's eyes clouded over with pain. "How can you take his side?" He argued. "You didn't see him, Toby. He's changed."

"So have you." Toby blinked back tears. He'd never had a fight with Zeo before - not until now. "Why didn't you? You know I've been waiting for him for the longest time, Zeo. How could you not tell me he came back to America? You knew!"

Zeo's eyes froze over to rage as he clenched his fists. "I was trying to protect you!" He shouted.

"From my own friend?"

"Yes!" His friend snapped back, then corrected his sentence. "Well, no, because - don't you get it? - he's not our friend anymore!"

Toby reeled back - as much as one could while in a hospital bed - with shocked, wide eyes. "I can't believe you! How can you say that? Why? He hasn't done anything."

"That's right." So much hatred poured put in Zeo's tone, that it made Toby's heart crack. When had his friend grown so vengeful; so vicious? "He said nothing for us for seven years, and now you want to welcome him back?" Zeo ground his teeth, and his expression softened suddenly. "Look. You're confused; naive. I'll just sort this out, okay? And one day, you'll finally understand."

"What is there to understand?" Toby slapped Zeo's hand away as his friend reached towards him. "Don't treat me like some confused idiot! I'm not a weakling, dammit!"

Zeo's eyes hardened. "Look, Toby, it's been seven years! How can you be so forgiving?"

"How can you be so cruel?"

Zeo had nothing more as a response than his new mantra. "He betrayed us."

Toby looked away from his friend, blinking back tears. "Never mind - I'm not gonna argue with you pointlessly." He crossed his arms over his chest defensively. "Get out."

Zeo's eyes filled with hurt. "Toby, you can't honestly -"

"Out. Now."

Slowly, in disbelief, Zeo backed up to the door. As he received no further acknowledgement from Toby, he grabbed his bike from the door and began to walk backwards from the room.

"Toby," he began, but his friend didn't want to hear it.

"Just get out," he snapped again, wiping his eyes furiously on the back of his sleeve. His patience wore thin as Zeo continued to stand hesitantly in the doorway, not moving from his spot. His hurt, the lack of apology, the insults hurled mercilessly at the absent Masamune - it was all too much for Toby to handle right now. He was angry with himself, too, for being so fragile no matter how much his words contradicted this fact - the tears sent more fury coursing through him, fury that he unhesitatingly hurled towards Zeo.

Speaking of his friend, he was still standing in the doorway with his bike, features carrying a wounded expression. "Be careful," he warned him. "Masamune Kadoya is a traitor. He's not gonna be the same."

"You're ridiculous," Toby vented angrily. "I told you to get out, you retard."

Finally, and both to Toby's relief and grief, Zeo paralleled his bike to the hallway and disappeared from sight.

Afterwards, Toby at last allowed his tears the freedom they had sought. A part of him was very desperate, and longed to call Zeo back and beg him to return - but the young man's phone still lay slightly buried amongst the tangled sheets.

Toby picked up the phone - it was old; a cheap flip-phone from the year '05. His friend had sacrificed so much, he reflected. How could Toby be so ungrateful as to send him away over a small dispute?

Then again, it wasn't any simple dispute; he realized. This was Masamune - a friend he hadn't seen in years, and meeting him again had been, he could say, his lifelong dream since his friend won the World Championships for Japan. For Zeo to crush that dream, without giving Toby any say...

He'd made the right decision, Toby told himself. He would resolve things with Zeo later on, he promised. It didn't matter how much his friend might despise him or love him, but Toby still had a life of his own, that he wanted to make all the decisions in.

Surely, after missing out on so many years spent in the hospital, he deserved that much?

But the guilt continued to eat at Toby, even as he snuggled down in the sheets, and Zeo's previous words all continued to haunt him.

'He came here to congratulate his friend, and the. Fly back to Japan.'

If he didn't resolve things with Zeo, he realized, Toby might find himself lacking a long-time close friend.

Let me know what you think.

And fear not...I have just a couple paragraphs to go on upcoming chapters, so expect updates to follow within the week.

I'd better throw out some thank-yous...

Bristleclaw

Chidsengan

BlueButterflyRose

GoldenAngel999

Lethal-Circle

Penpal678910

Water Dragon of the South

june3law

thatcrazyfangirl111

Peace out!