Chapter 13

Is it already time for the ten-year reunion?

I'm sorry I've made you all wait insanely long for this chapter, which also happens to be a pretty pointless chapter for the plot, anyways. But I have been busy, in my defense...I never thought high school would be so hard to manage, along with the ten million other things I do outside of school.

But rest assured I am VERY determined to finish this story, even if it means failing all my classes and dying. (I'll regret saying that later but whatever.)

Responses to Reviews:

GoldenAngel999: Yeah, I wanted to add a lot of little interesting details to each of Wild Fang (with the exception of Benkei). I felt that even though their characters were pretty well-done, I wanted to add something special or impactful about each of their lives. And yes, you are correct about Sophie and Julian!
Thanks for being so understanding...Besides, I'm probably not the only one with these problems.

BlueButterflyRose: Thank you, thank you! I have to admit I was surprised to see you were following my story, and I'm so happy you still do!

The rattle of the wheelchair was almost soothing as they walked down the hall, though obvious in the calm silence of the hospital. Even more obvious, behind them, were Ginga and Madouka, who chattered like starlings—so loudly that Masamune was certain they would be scolded for obstructing the peace and quiet. And jeez—they reprimanded him for making noise!

Masamune pushed the wheelchair ever so slightly further ahead, letting Madouka and Ginga babble behind him about whoever or whatever they were talking about.

"So, Toby." He tried his best to keep his voice relaxed as he spoke to his friend, recently with whom his relationship had been rekindled. "Have you...um...talked to Zeo lately?" He tried not to sound like he was forcing the words out, but the name felt completely forced on his tongue.

From his friend's hesitation to respond, Masamune could already foresee his answer. "Not since we argued," Toby confessed. Peering around, Masamune could see some of the lively light in his eyes from earlier had dimmed. "I... I think he's avoiding me. He's probably angry." Toby's shoulders slumped. "He hasn't even come back for his phone."

"Maybe he doesn't realize it's at the hospital," Masamune suggested, before realizing his argument might just even deflate Toby's mood even more. Shaking his head, Masamune tried to switch the subject. "Look, we shouldn't even be discussing this. I don't know why I brought it up."

"No," Toby quickly cut in, retaliating. "It's Zeo's problem. He can cool off about it or not. He's the one making me choose my friends, not you—so if he wants to bug off just because my best friend's in America—that's his problem."

"Oh." Masamune only then realized his voice was unusually quiet. "You know..." He swallowed. "I was thinking of moving back to America."

This time, Toby's voice held no trace of earlier upset or turmoil, only a soft and gentle, sincere warmth.

"That'll be great, Masamune. I forgot to say before, but—welcome home."

The hotheaded Japanese-American couldn't keep the smile off his face after that.

"I'll come back tomorrow," Masamune vowed to him over and over again as he and his friends said their good-byes to him from the hospital.

Toby laughed. "Relax—I get it, Masamune. I don't think you'll run away overnight."

The mechanic—what a lack of memory; Toby had already forgotten her name in the excitement of the day. He'd have to be sure to ask Masamune for her name again later, so as not to be rude. "You never know—he might surprise you," she giggled. Toby smiled, both charmed and amused by her sweet, chanteuse personality. She had a nice aroma which wreathed around her, too - lavender, by the smells of it; it was probably a perfume, though. Unless he was losing his mind again.

Masamune gave Toby one last clap on the back, but when he retreated again, it was with worried eyes.

"Toby," he murmured, "I'm not doing this—okay, maybe I am—out of guilt, but looking at it..." He gazed up at the daunting medical facility they stood beneath. "Zeo has done...so much for you," he croaked, seeming speechless aside.

Toby sighed, wishing Masamune would let the topic drop already. It wasn't as though he would act equally impolite and abandon Zeo. He'd never do that—no matter how much the circumstance might demand of it, he couldn't give up on such a loyal friend. If anything, he was determined to find a way to reunite the three of them. "I know," he told his friend reassuringly, "and I won't rest until this gets solved."

Masamune made a face. "Hey, you're still in the hospital."

"You still need to get your head checked."

Masamune couldn't hold back a smile, then he lightly punched Toby's shoulder. "Cheek."

"Clown."

His friend grasped his chest and gave a sharp gasp, as if he'd been wounded. "I'm hurt."

Toby nodded behind him. "There's a hospital if you need one," he replied cheerily.

As Masamune and his mechanic friend laughed, Ginga Hagane pulled on Masamune's shoulder with a light smile dancing across his face. He looked much more serious than he had as a child, if Toby's memory served him correctly—though that was bound to happen through age, he supposed. "I think I'd better save him from your wit," he teased. "It's been too long for him."

Toby waved with a smile. "Wouldn't dream of holding you back. Didn't mean to monopolize your time—and thanks for the autographs!" He called out as an afterthought.

"Don't worry about it—either of those things!" Ginga hollered back heartily, while the pretty mechanic shouted, "nice to meet you!"

Toby sat there for a moment, smiling contentedly and watching as they disappeared across the parking lot, in a sea of darkness. Already it was nearing half past ten—no wonder the grouchy nurse had walked in on them and ordered that the guests be evicted. As well, he realized with a start, it was best he go back inside before anyone began worrying for him. Some of the staff in this hospital were quite protective—then again, they mostly had very rich and demanding patients to answer to.

"Some crew you've got."

The voice startled Toby out of his thoughts, he whipped his head around so quickly that his neck cracked.

Limping on a set of crutches unsteadily was a dark-haired girl in a hospital nightgown. Her bangs fell in a disorderly fashion over her eyes, the locks turning green as she neared a lamp on the concrete pillar. She looked vaguely familiar, but Toby could not place her. He offered the kindest smile he could muster, then posed his question. "You look familiar..."

A smirk crossed her face, looking unabashed but ever-so-slightly sheepish. "I watched you on the lawn," she admitted. "I'm the one that couldn't walk to save my life—though to be fair, I think you were staring at me first."

Toby nodded, recalling the brief scene at the lawn, but still not registering the girl's face to the memory. Giving up, he offered another friendly grin.

"Well, if you're at any early stage in recovery, you can't be expected to run from the killer."

The chuckle that followed was rough and tomboyish. "True. I could always hotwire a car, though." Her voice was dry and oozed sarcasm and aloofness with every word.

Toby smiled, extending a hand. "I'm Toby."

The girl returned the greeting with a half-smirk, half-grin. "Mijuki. I'm in the room down the hall next to you, with the annoying boyfriend who keeps asking to use your TV."

"The weather channel?" Toby guessed.

"That's the one."

As if on silent accord, they both began filing into the hospital. The automatic doors slid open with a hiss for the two of them; plenty of width which allowed them to pass through while standing side-by-side.

Mijuki nodded down at his legs. "None of my business, but—what happened to you?"

"Oh?" Toby glanced down at himself, before heat rose to his cheeks. "Oh no—I'm a pretty long-term patient. I was just sick, but the doctor insists I use this."

"I see." Toby thought he spotted a slight trace of puzzlement in those eyes, but they peeled themselves away from the device. "Car accident." She gave a chuckle. "Actually, it was a bus, my bad." She gave a sigh. "My boyfriend and my brother have to stay behind in the city to keep me company—poor guys."

Toby gave her a puzzled smile as he pressed the button for the elevator. "But why? New York is wonderful—though I can understand if money is an issue..."

Mijuki shook her head, beckoning courteously to him with a hand to enter the elevator first, as it opened with a soft ding. "Not at all—my parents are loaded. It's just that my boyfriend is—well, not used to the city...and my brother...is a veteran. He needs to recover." She gave a sigh. "It feels like he can't do that properly here."

Toby sympathized. "I'm sure he's doing way better off staying with you, than he could by himself in a quiet place."

Mijuki shrugged; Toby reminded himself that comfort might not always be best coming from a stranger. He reminded himself to make an effort to be a bit more reserved as an attempt to not discomfort her any further.

As the elevator hissed to a stop and they stepped out, Mijuki turned to stare at Toby with an inviting smile. Her blue eyes were startling: they stood out with their bright, feverish colour. Just as he cringed over judging a stranger's looks, she began talking rapidly.

"Hey, it'd be nice to talk more often, I get pretty lonely in this hospital."

Toby was a bit surprised by the offer, but more than happy to oblige. "Sure. I don't see any not."

"Great." Mijuki brightened instantly, and began stumbling on her crutches down the hall. "I'll drop by you room later!" She called out, and Toby responded with a laugh of "okay—just don't fall while you're at it."

The last he saw of her was a tongue darting out to shoot a playful raspberry in his direction, before she retreated into the sanctuary of her room.

"Julian!"

The very instant he'd put down his briefcase, he was startled to see Sophie waiting for him. He almost had a heart attack as he caught sight of her, sitting up alert on the sofa.

Scrambling off the couch, the Frenchwoman dashed up to help remove his coat—an unnecessary gesture, but sweet all the same. Julian tried very hard not to blush whenever her fingers grazed his skin.

It seemed that Sophie's call had summoned Klaus and Wales to the living room as well: both men stood to the side awkwardly, their hands stuffed in their pockets almost expectantly.

Glancing around between them, Julian gave a weary sigh. "Very well, what is it? What do you want?"

At the very least, they knew him well enough to not continue to try and elude his suspicions. "You remember we were planning on heading down to the beach for some fireworks yesterday, yes?" Sophie's tone was sweet as honey, and Julian tried not to melt.

"Yes." He glanced back towards Klaus and Wales, unable to hold her gaze any longer. "If I recall, they were cancelled."

Wales gave a simmering smile, brushing back tufts of auburn hair from his face. "Well, there happens to be a second beach not too far from here which is hosting a fireworks display."

Somehow, Julian couldn't bring himself to be surprised. "And we're going?"

Nods of assent came from all around.

Sophie clasped her hands together in a plea. "Please, Julian? It'll just be the four of us, and we'll have a lovely time."

The very instant she raised her voice he couldn't argue. But, just for a good measure, he glanced around at all their pleading faces before relenting with another exaggerated sigh. "Very well. Where are we headed?"

Wales tossed him a set of keys from the dresser. "It's a couple blocks away. I'll give you directions."

Julian gave a good-natured grumble as he put back on his jacket. "Why did I bother to take my coat off...?"

After the visit to the hospital, the mansion seemed especially quiet, Madouka thought. Such peace demanded for an equally tranquil activity, and so she decided to settle down with a book, Ginga and Masamune settled for sleeping.

But it was by the settled air which she first heard the light disturbance, and in such a large and lonely mansion, the sobs were only amplified.

On the one hundred and fifty-fifth page of Pride and Prejudice, the calming lull of words was interrupted by the abrupt sobs that cut through the silence. As she first recognized the sound Madouka perked her ears and listened carefully, attempting to pinpoint the source, but just as quickly as she had begun concentrating the noises seemed to stop.

Dismissing it as a trick of her imagination, Madouka resumed reading, only for the crying to immediately start again—this time, far more audible.

Tiptoeing down the hall, making turns and peering around corners when necessary, Madouka finally found a door hanging slightly ajar, MeiMei inside.

The sight of the Chinese girl broken down on the carpets was enough to make Madouka's heart break; without a single moment of hesitation she rushed to MeiMei's side to comfort her friend.

Silently MeiMei acknowledged her, accepting her friend's open embrace with a hug. They sat still for a few minutes, the only sound breaking the still air being the occasional sniffle or choke from Madouka's friend.

Once she had finally started to calm down, Madouka rubbing soothing circles across her back the whole while, she finally found her voice.

"Oh, Madouka... I just don't know what to do..."

"Shh." Somehow, sitting in silence was so much easier than having to talk about the problem. MeiMei's breaths were coming out as shallow gasps again. "Just relax, then you can tell me if you want to."

Eventually, Madouka managed to coax her over to sit in a chair. She whisked to the nightstand and grabbed a box of tissues, which MeiMei heartily obliged to by grabbing a fistful.

After several rounds of blowing her nose and miserably tossing wads of tissue into the wastebasket, MeiMei looked over to her friend. Her mascara was streaming down her face in ashy stains. Madouka was surprised that all of it hadn't been completely washed away by her tears.

"What's wrong?" Madouka asked quietly, feeling she ought to break the building silence.

MeiMei gave another sniff. Madouka held out the tissue box, but she refused it. "Oh, I don't know... Everything's just a mess right now." Silently, Madouka contemplated whether she meant the complications they'd encountered in America, or if something had happened in China, but she worried that asking which she was referring to might sound insensitive. Instead, she gave her friend's hand a comforting squeeze. "Go on," she encouraged her, her voice solid as a brick - she could only wish her reassurances sounded very much the same.

MeiMei was quiet, staring out thoughtfully into space. "I'm...confused, Madouka."

"Confused?"

MeiMei nodded, her lip starting to quiver before she pressed it back. "There's a lot I haven't told you...and I'm sorry, but..."

Madouka was itching to ask MeiMei what kind of problems had been occurring in her friend's life, but knew it was more for her own curiosity than for the sake of her friend. So she gave her friend's hand another comforting squeeze. "Tell me what you can. It's okay."

MeiMei's head fell into her hands, arms shaking. "Oh, I don't know... Madouka, I think I really miss China!"

As tears began rolling down the Chinese martial artist's face, Madouka pulled out another handful of tissues and began dabbing them fussily. Hugging her friend, she spoke to her in a surprisingly calm, steady voice.

"It's okay, MeiMei. You shouldn't have to stay anywhere if you don't want to." Madouka wasn't sure how much, exactly, that her words of mild encouragement were helping, but MeiMei's breathing was slower and clearer. At last, when they broke apart, Madouka took a deep breath and looked at her square in the eye. "MeiMei. Go back to China."

MeiMei gave a weak and nodded. "I know. I will. I am."

With a long sigh, Madouka embraced her friend tightly again, for what might be one of the last times for a long while. "I'll miss you so much."

"Yeah." MeiMei's voice turned sour. "And I'll never get to find out what'll happen between you and Nile!" She gave a small giggle. "Is he really as hot as you said?"

"Definitely. And more."

"Darn." There was another pause, before MeiMei added "did you hear that Sophie finally got her boys to go to the fireworks with her?"

"Really? Madouka couldn't compress a giggle, they seemed to have switched back into their routinely gossip moments. "Is she going to...?"

A mischievous glint sparked in MeiMei's eyes, and though Madouka couldn't see it, she could quite clearly picture it in her mind. "I think so! She's probably going to tell him."

They were quiet for a bit, before they finally broke apart. "Well," MeiMei sighed, "I guess I should start packing."

Madouka refused to be parted from her friend so soon—especially when it seemed she would be gone in a matter of moments. "I'll help."

A warm smile fluttered to grace MeiMei's lips. "Thanks. I really appreciate it."

Madouka could tell there was more meaning behind the words than what was given, and so she replied by hugging her friend a third time. "No problem. Anytime."

MeiMei later on cut the sentiment short by picking up a pillow and smacking Madouka's arm with it. "Now, move! There's some packing to be done and I don't want distractions."

"Hey!" Madouka retaliated by flinging a pillow back. MeiMei squawked as it glanced her shoulder and sent her stumbling back.

It would a very long and noisy night of packing, indeed.

Alright! That's all for the month...if not, the year.

MANY thanks to...

GoldenAngel999

BlueButterflyRose

Bristleclaw

Chidsengan

Lethal-Circle

Penpal678910

Water Dragon of the South

june3law

thatcrazyfangirl111

Until the next chapter...coming up (hopefully) soon... PEACE OUT!