Chapter 17

So, seeing as exams and big assignments are headed my way in the very near future, I decided to go crazy on the writing this weekend and post this mega huge chapter...I didn't realize until now that it was over 10,000 words long, not including the AN!

Thank you so, so, so very much everyone for your wonderful support of this story!

Speaking of which, I would like to welcome two new members of the Pills community: Warrior of the Diamond Dust and !
This chapter is dedicated specially to the two of you!

I apologize to those of you who I promised I would include OCs. They will be appearing in the next chapter, the party scene.

The winner of the OC contest for Ryuga will be announced at the beginning of next chapter, meaning deliberation is still in process for anyone else who happens to be interested! Seeing as I'm about to be hit with a train wreck of schoolwork, it might be a while...

Responses to Reviews:

QueensKhioneandFernis: Chris is honestly one of my favourite characters to write, but for whatever reason I always forget about him. Not this time, though!
Phew! I was reading that bit over and over again, trying to capture Lucas' personality just right, so I'm glad it worked out good! A million thank-yous!

Kawaiino Tenshi Kiki: Yeah, Ryuga's appearance is completely random, but I guess I kind of wanted it to be a surprise.
Really? Your favourite part? Being honest, that really means a lot! I kind of flounder when it comes to writing about relations between characters and OCs, since the dynamic between them has to kind of be invented as you go! Like always, it's great to hear feedback from other wonderful authors like yourself! : )

BlueButterflyRose: Hahaha, it looks like Ryuga really has to stop going to the zoo! Doesn't he read those signs saying not to touch the animals?
Thanks so much for your continued support! It's great to hear from you again.

Madouka carefully shut the door to her room behind her. Masamune and Ginga had gone to buy lunch, and Sophie was occupied with her new boyfriend, meaning no one would disturb her for a good long while.

First she settled at the desk, clearing some of the pencils and bey-bits and other junk–but after a reconsideration, she jumped onto her bed, lying on her stomach, swinging her legs in the air like a teenager on the phone. She couldn't suppress a giggle–calling MeiMei made her feel fourteen again.

She opened her laptop, settling her chin on one hand. As she opened Skype, she let her mind wander to a certain handsome man who had haunted her dreams last night... She couldn't help but giggle as she remembered how he'd flirted with her at the restaurant the other day.

"OH MY GOSH! MADOUKA!"

The scream made her snap out of her daydream instantly. She flinched as the screech made her speakers crackle.

"Be quiet!" She hissed, glancing about the room nervously even though there was no one there. "What are you trying to do, let all of New York know that you're calling?"

MeiMei beamed at her, in spite of her scolding. "Girl, you have no idea just how much I've missed you! It's great being back at the temple with, you know, all the–" she rolled her eyes mockingly. "–boys, but there's no one for me to share my incredible girl-secrets with!"

Madouka couldn't help but grin. "Well, you'd better spill them now then, while you have time! Unless..." She gave a coy smile. "You have to go spend some quality time with him...?"

The blush that coated MeiMei's cheeks was enough to paint a house. "Well, maybe!" She snapped defensively. "But...at least tell me your week hasn't been boring, Ms. With no Secrets!"

Madouka grinned crookedly–MeiMei had so much to catch up on!

"I went to lunch with Nile," she admitted. MeiMei's squeal made her ears ring, but she didn't care. "Although there were other people there, too. He invited me and Ginga."

MeiMei pouted. "That's hardly news!"

Madouka shook her head. "No way! You haven't heard the best part–he was totally flirting with me!"

MeiMei's jaw dropped so far, Madouka was surprised she could still see it on the screen. "Nooooo."

"Yes!" She laughed. "He literally said–in the most charming way possible–that I look good in my dress, aaaaaand I'm pretty."

The Chinese girl pressed two fingers against her lips, suppressing her smile. "At this point, girl, I don't think you even need to give yourself the benefit of the doubt!"

Nodding wildly, Madouka continued. "And, and–you'll never guess."

"Guess what?" MeiMei demanded.

Madouka let out each word slowly and steadily, savouring each moment of torture and anticipation that her friend held as she waited. "Sophie...is...finally...together...with... Julian!"

At this, MeiMei jumped up and down–for a few seconds, all Madouka could see off the Chinese girl was her slim waist. She reappeared on the screen with a huge grin on her face. "Are they an item?"

Madouka couldn't stop laughing for some reason. "I think so! They totally shocked us by just coming down the stairs, like an ages-ago couple. They were going on a date and everything!"

"Ohhhh!" MeiMei had grabbed a pillow and was tearing it apart with her hands. "You don't know how much you're making me wish I was back in America!"

"There's more!" Madouka shouted gleefully, all consideration for others in the house forgotten. She straightened up on her elbows and leaned closer to the screen, preparing to craft her story. "You wouldn't believe it! So I was at lunch with Ginga and Nile..." She rolled her eyes as MeiMei a teasing 'ooh' of interest. "And Kyoya was coming too, but then Hikaru shows up. We were all surprised, but then she told us that Kyoya, out of all people, invited her!"

MeiMei's eyes were wide. "Kyoya? Kyoya Tategami, as in the punk rocker guy or whatever he was?" Madouka had to stifle a snigger–perhaps he had come off as rather...abrasive back then, but the description made her snigger.

"I never thought he looked like the social type," MeiMei remarked.

Madouka gave an earnest shrug. "People change. Besides, he's been in the military–I bet that had something to do with it."

MeiMei gave a small sound of sympathy at that, but Madouka was too excited to plunge ahead into her story to linger on the sad subject.

"But anyways, Kyoya comes running over right after she gets there and he's all sorry he's late–and then he and Hikaru do this kiss-y thingy!"

MeiMei stared at her. "You're joking."

"I'm not!"

"Are you sure it wasn't friendly?" MeiMei prompted seriously. Madouka did her best not to laugh at her friend's serious expression.

"Absolutely certain! When he saw us all staring, he even put his hand around her waist and everything!"

MeiMei fanned herself. "Why does all the exciting stuff happen after I'm gone?" She complained.

Madouka chuckled, swinging her legs cheerfully. "Oh, come on. I'm sure you must have a funny story or two to give me about the temple."

MeiMei's eyes lit up at the mention of this. "Oh hell, yes! Well... I guess this week hasn't been so good, if you look at it a certain way–we've had a fire and a break-in."

"That's terrible!" Madouka exclaimed, but paused when she saw MeiMei rolling around in laughter. "What ...happened?"

"Oh my gosh, it was hilarious," MeiMei chuckled, wiping her eyes. "One of the students found a hornets' nest next to one of the training courtyards. I don't know where he got the idea, but he thought it'd be a good idea to smoke them out with fire!"

"Oh no," Madouka gasped, but this time, she struggled with a smile.

"He burned up the nest, alright, but he also set the building on fire! Chi-Yung was meditating in the room beside it–oh gosh, you don't know just how uptight he is about his meditation sessions–and I don't know why he didn't get the hell out, but...well...you can imagine that didn't over so well."

Madouka was struggling between humour and horror. "Is he alright?"

MeiMei burst out laughing all the sudden. "Of course! The wall's a little burnt is all–the building might be wood, but it didn't spread all that quickly. But really, it was pretty hilarious–you should have seen it. Those kids started freaking out, so they brought a bucket of water to put out the fire. And when Chi-Yung finally comes out the door, he got the entire bucket of water in his face!"

Madouka laughed, picturing a soaking wet–and very cross, she would imagine–Chi-Yung.

"And...well...you know how he puts his hair in that braid–"

"Uh-huh?"

"And how his eyebrows aren't exactly...very long?"

"Yes?" Madouka prompted, a smile stretching across her face.

"Well..." MeiMei cleared her throat and sat up straight, putting her finger under her nose in imitation of a moustache. "As a result of the fire, let it be said/that Chi-Yung no longer has hair on his head."

Madouka doubled over in laughter, clapping. "Oh jeez! He must be mad!"

MeiMei gave a catty grin. "Yeah. Chao Xin keeps making fun of him for it. He's always saying he must have fallen asleep during meditation or something to not notice that his hair was on fire–and you know how Chi-Yung hates being accused of slacking."

Madouka shook with laughter, gasping. Eyes widening, she propped herself back up on her elbows. "Oh! So I guess Chao Xin is still managing to make time for the temple, even though his acting career's taken off?"

MeiMei nodded. "Yeah. He keeps saying he needs our training to practice doing his stunts," she giggled. Her eyes lit up. "Oh! I almost forgot to tell you: Chi-Yung's birthday was yesterday."

"Really?" Madouka instantly felt guilty that she had laughed over his hair-on-fire incident. "Tell him I said Happy Birthday!"

"I'm sure he'll appreciate it," MeiMei said gratefully. "But that's not what I wanted to tell you. Chao Xin decided it'd be a funny birthday prank if he snuck into Chi-Yung's room and stole all his underwear–you know how he's–well, short."

Madouka had to agree inwardly. Chi-Yung was barely the size of a twelve-year old child, even today. He still stood at least a full head under MeiMei.

"Anyways, Chao Xin wanted to see if he'd walk around without underwear, or if he'd borrow an oversized pair from someone else, so that's what he went to do. But, well, Chao Xin's not very familiar with the living quarters of the temple, since he hasn't moved in yet."

Madouka covered her mouth, already predicting part of the outcome. "Oh no. Did he break into the wrong room?"

MeiMei laughed like hyena and shook her head. "No, that's just it. He broke into the right room, but, well...he broke into the wrong drawer..."

"...And?"

The friendly martial arts expert gave a mischievous grin. "...Chi-Yung shares a room with Da Xiang..."

"Oh god no!" Madouka planted her face into the mattress, already dreading Chao Xin's unfortunate fate.

"Let's just say Da Xiang was...super pissed when he went to training that morning," MeiMei cackled. "You should have seen the look on both their faces when they figured it out. Da Xiang chased Chao Xin across half of Beijing before he caught him. And afterwards..." She gave a poorly compressed snigger. "He made him go collect all his boxers from where Chao Xin put them..."

Something about the way she finished the sentence made Madouka suspect there was more to it than her friend was letting on. "MeiMei. Where did Chao Xin hide the underwear?" The sentence itself was so comical that she almost choked.

MeiMei's face was splitting from her wide Cheshire grin. "It was strung up all over the training grounds with the wooden dummies."

Both girls howled with laughter. Madouka barely heard MeiMei heave for breath to add, "Da Xiang said that needs to practice his stunts, so he might as well go fetch them! He made him wash it in the river, too!"

After a few minutes of trying to calm down (only to burst into laughter again), they fell silent, goofy smiles etched on both their faces. "Well," Madouka sighed with a content smile. "It sounds like we're both having a good time, where we are."

MeiMei nodded, eyes distant. "Yeah."

"How are you feeling?" Madouka inquired softly, referring to her friend's...well-being.

This time, MeiMei's smile was soft and somber. "I start chemotherapy next week."

Right there, Madouka wished that she was next to her friend, in China–or that she could simply reach through the screen just to give her friend's hand a squeeze. Even just one hug seemed like it would suffice–just if only she could be there to do it. "Be strong," she encouraged her friend softly. "You'll make it. I know you will." Somehow, that certainty weighed itself in her chest–she had to believe in this. She had to.

MeiMei smiled. "Don't forget who you're talking to. And don't you worry–I won't be scared, either way."

"Alright."

MeiMei gave her one last, coy grin. "Good luck with Nile." She winked. "Go get him, girl!" Madouka blushed and murmured something along the lines of a promise.

Silence lingered before a distant shout sounded through the speakers. MeiMei shouted something back in Chinese before turning back to the screen. "I have to go now," she said softly. "But...I'll call you later. Okay?" Her smile could have lit up the sun, Madouka thought sorrowfully as her friend beamed.

"Okay," she replied. "I'll see you later, then." With a blip, the call ended.

Madouka didn't realize she was crying until she felt the hot stain of tears on her cheeks. Quickly wiping them away with her hands, she checked the mirror to ensure her makeup hadn't stained, then closed the laptop and went downstairs. For a change, it seemed that even her computer could provide her with no comfort–maybe a walk could clear her mind–or a bite to eat, she reflected, clutching her growling stomach. She was hungry.

As she left her room and took several steps down the hall, she almost ran into someone.

"Ginga?" She blinked. "What are you doing here? I thought you went to buy some takeout with Masamune."

Ginga blinked, looking dumbfounded for a minute before explaining.

"Madouka! I didn't realize you were still here." He scratched his head sheepishly. "Uh...yeah, Masamune forgot to bring the money, so I ran back here to fetch it." His cheeks were red, and he was slightly out of breath, Madouka noted–it certainly backed up his story.

"I have some American money in my room," she offered. "Want me to go get it?"

Ginga nodded, still breathless. "Uh, yeah, sure... Hey! Are you alright?" The redhead stopped short in the middle of his sentence, looking alarmed. "You've been...crying." Ginga took her gently by the hand, pulling her towards him. "Are you okay?"

Madouka blinked and wiped her face, wondering if she was still crying–but her cheeks were dry. "Huh? Oh... I was just Skyping MeiMei, that's all..."

Ginga's expression turned sympathetic. "I see. I'm sorry. I understand how hard it is to be so far from a close friend." It took Madouka a moment to register that the experience he was referring to was his desperate search for Kyoya. She almost corrected him, but then caught herself in time–word of MeiMei's illness hadn't reached just everyone quite yet. So instead, she plastered a small smile on her face.

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Here." Before she could move or speak, Ginga's arms wrapped around her. Madouka was at first uncomfortable by the level of proximity–he was guy!–but dismissed her squeamishness. She should be over the stupid gender barrier, after having known Ginga for so long.

She settled into the hug–Ginga felt surprisingly strong. She'd never really thought of him as buff, with guys like Klaus and Kyoya around, but now she noticed that he was definitely no longer the skinny little kid with a toothpick build from when they were younger.

Madouka finally pushed away, cocking her head down the hall. "Takeout? Money?" Ginga's eyes widened as if he had completely forgotten (which he probably had), and he nodded.

Madouka passed him a fifty dollar bill and a twenty, just in case–she wasn't really sure how prices ranged in America. "Watch your pockets," she warned him. Ginga gave a mock salute and a goofy grin, which made her smile.

"Oh, yeah. Masamune and I are going to drop by the hospital later this afternoon," Ginga told her, hovering at her doorway. "Do you want to come?"

Madouka thought of the hospital, and almost shuddered at the reminder of what MeiMei had said about starting her treatment. "No thanks. But tell Toby I said hello," she added.

Ginga's face fell but he smiled again right after. "I will," he promised, and left with a wave.

Madouka sat down at her desk and stared at the scrap pieces of beys. She couldn't motivate herself to work, even though she knew it was the best distraction.

All the sudden, Madouka wished Ginga hadn't left–she simply didn't want to be alone right now, no matter who she was with. The reality of her friend's absence overseas suddenly hit her like a train, and her lip trembled as she tried not to cry. Out of all the times to feel weak, why now? How come she hadn't noticed before just how lonely and terrible it was to leave MeiMei all the way back in China?

She gazed at the clock, praying for time to go faster–how had barely ten minutes passed since Ginga was gone? Oh gosh–hadn't Masamune said earlier that they were going for Chinese takeout? All the sudden Madouka felt queasy.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Madouka wanted to sit where she was and simply let worry roll off her in waves, but her curiosity won out in the end. Surely, Ginga hadn't forgotten something again. And it was impossible for Masamune and him–especially Masamune and Ginga–to have travelled that fast.

She hobbled down the stairs as fast as her heels allowed her–probably not the best choice in footwear, but they did go nicely with her outfit.

She opened the door, letting sunlight hit her face. But as she breathed in the fresh outdoor air, she gasped.

"Nile!"

What was he doing here? Again? Had he come to see Madouka? (She dismissed that thought as foolish.) Was he really here, or was this just a figment of her imagination?

He smiled at her, and she decided that this dream just might not be so bad. "Hey."

"Hey..." It felt like she was floating.

Nile frowned and his eyes flickered just behind her. "Is it just me, or is it too quiet again? They didn't leave a nice girl like you alone in the house, did they?"

Madouka laughed nervously and shook her head. "Oh, no... I kind of wanted some alone time."

"Oh." Nile glanced awkwardly over his shoulder. "Should I leave...?"

"Oh, no!" Madouka shook her head vigorously. "I...kind of changed my mind before, anyways, I was lonely." She flooded with embarrassment–it sounded like such a pathetic excuse, even though it was the truth.

Amusement shadowed Nile's eyes before he cleared his throat. "Um, I don't suppose you want to come with me to lunch?"

"Us?" Madouka blinked. "Just...you and me?"

Nile's cheeks darkened, and Madouka had to bite her lip to keep from cooing. "Uh...yeah. Or, I can invite some other people to come, if you want... I don't know who else is available, but maybe I can get Kyoya and Hikaru to come..."

"No!" Madouka burst out suddenly, then covered her mouth apologetically. "I mean..." She breathed in and straightened up. "I'd love to have lunch," she corrected herself. "With you."

Nile smiled, his pure green eyes thinning and he did so. "Awesome. Anywhere you'd like to eat?"

Madouka wracked her brain as she grabbed her purse and keys.

"So long as it's not Chinese, I'm good."

Nile gave her an odd look, but didn't pursue the topic any further. "Okay, cool." He took her hand, and Madouka tried not to scream with delight. MeiMei would be ecstatic when she heard about this! "How about this? There's a nice Mexican restaurant down the street that someone recommended to me..."

Madouka tried very hard not to think about MeiMei, winking cattily as she wished her good luck. Even just that single memory made her chest tighten painfully.

"Hey, you alright?"

Nile's rich voice pulled her head out of the clouds, and she smiled brightly.

"Never been better!"

Right now, she thought dreamily, as she followed him down the street, nothing could be closer to the truth.

Zeo rubbed his forehead, nursing the persistent headache that had bothered him all day. Next to him, Toby chattered excitedly about his plans for once he was released from the hospital.

"...I know we haven't really got the money to go anywhere, but it would be nice to finally start travelling. The doctor said it should be okay after this, and I think a vacation would be a nice way to celebrate you going to college."

Doing his best to ignore the pounding in his head, Zeo smiled back. "Yeah."

Toby gasped, his eyes widening in excitement. How he could maintain such a constant level of cheer was beyond Zeo's understanding, but he humoured it–if anything, he prayed to whoever the hell was way up there to keep that joyful light shining in Toby's eyes eternally.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you–I've been invited to a party tomorrow!"

Now this caught Zeo's attention. "Wha–party? Who?"

Toby grinned. "Remember my friend Mijuki? Her brother's holding a party at that bar on 5th avenue. You should come!"

Zeo frowned disapprovingly, wondering if the nurses had prematurely injected Toby with sedatives. "Tomorrow? Won't you need to recover from your surgery? You can't go the day after. You haven't even been discharged!"

Toby gave him a sheepish grin. "Mijuki's got a way for us to sneak out. And... I was kind of hoping you might help out. Just in case, I was planning on going in a wheelchair..."

First, Zeo gave a disapproving frown, but it fell into a chuckle. "Alright. You can count on me."

"Great!" Toby beamed, and Zeo couldn't help but smile as well. "Just be at the hospital by a quarter to seven."

Zeo nodded, but just as quickly the sharp pain returned, attacking his brain with thousands of furious needles. He cringed, rubbing his forehead, but the pain persisted, as always.

Toby leaned over, pointing to the nightstand, which Zeo had removed in order to sit at his friend's bedside. "Could you pass me that bottle of water?"

"Sure," Zeo replied, reaching for it. But he was disgusted by his own strength when his hands trembled as they lifted up the lightweight object. Gritting his teeth, he clutched it even tighter and quickly dropped it on his friend's lap. "There."

"Thanks." Toby unscrewed the cap and took several generous gulps, his throat bobbing.

Zeo's hands couldn't seem to stop shaking after that. His limbs twitched uncontrollably at their own accord. "Dammit," he muttered under his breath, rummaging through his bag to find his only solution–his only cure. "Dammit, where are they?" His shaking hands dug past books and crumpled paper and pieces of disgusting lint before he found what he was looking for.

At last, he pulled out the unlabelled plastic bottle. Still trembling, he tried to wrap his fingers around the lid, squeezing as hard as his strength allowed, but he couldn't seem to get a proper grip on the crooked grooves of bottle.

Cursing loudly, he threw it to the floor, making the contents inside rattle. Toby's eyes shot wide open. "What's wrong?" He asked, head waving from side to side, as though searching for the problem.

"Nothing, nothing." To Zeo, his own voice sounded strange and unfamiliar. "Just can't get this damn thing open."

As Zeo picked it up, though, Toby noticed. "What are you doing?" He shot up from his laid-back posture and grabbed Zeo's hand. "And what is that?" He tried to reach over and grab it, but Zeo scooted away from him, his heart hammering. He couldn't break the agreement–he couldn't break the confidentiality agreement. "Relax, it's just aspirin," he lied. "I've got a terrible migraine."

Toby's eyebrows creased in worry and Zeo's heart hammered nervously in his chest. "Are you sure you should be here, then?" He queried, and Zeo sighed lightly in relief. "Maybe you should go home."

Zoe popped the lid–at last, at long last!–and downed a small handful of pills. "Nah," he sighed, closing his eyes as the tiny tablets travelled down his throat. He opened one eye and grinned crookedly at Toby. "I have to see you off to your final surgery, don't I?" Any of Toby's remaining doubts seemed to have vanished in that smile.

God, why were people so easy to fool?

It was then that the nurse walked in, with a pair of doctors at her side. Zeo stood up and stepped back so that they could adjust the hospital bed to make it mobile.

The nurse gave a friendly smile, crow's feet posing the edge of his eyes. "Alright, Toby. Are you ready?"

Toby nodded, a soft smile gracing his lips.

"And don't worry too much about the surgery," the doctor reassured him as she grabbed his left wrist, testing his pulse. "It's just a reinforcement to eliminate any risk of that disease coming back again. Dr. Braun will be your surgeon–she's very qualified." She stepped back and gave both boys a friendly smile.

The other doctor nodded his head at Zeo. "It's good to see you have such a loyal friend," he commented. "You've been at this hospital for a long time, haven't you? We'll miss you when you're gone."

Toby nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I might as well call this place my second home."

The doctor laughed heartily and waved to Zeo. "Don't you worry, Mr. Abyss. He'll be out in a jiffy."

"Thanks," Zeo called back as they escorted Toby from the room, the wheels of his cot clicking across the tiled floors. In truth, he was simply thankful that they were finally leaving–the frame of his polite smile was beginning to quiver, worn with exhaustion from overuse.

As he watched the party walk off further down the hall, the edges of his vision started to fog.

'Really? This again?'

Zeo blinked, trying to dispel the dream-like trance that had taken over him. It was just like when he'd been trashing his room...punching the mirror over and over, thinking his reflection was being splintered into satisfying shards, when in reality he later discovered that all he'd accomplished was creating a large crack in the reflective surface. Mirrors were tough to crack, he supposed–or maybe he was just weak.

"Toby?" The voice made Zeo spin around. Who was that? He squinted, his hazy mind struggling to connect names to faces.

Masamune!

His muscles bunched up, and it seemed that every one of his instincts told him to scream. Why was that two-faced, lying traitor here? He didn't deserve to come to this hospital! But the foggy part of his mind faintly whispered that something was wrong, that Masamune was not the issue.

The person in question blinked, seeming shocked. "...Zeo. Where..." He glanced around desperately. "Where's Toby?"

No way. He had to protect Toby. He couldn't let Masamune get his hands on him. He should do something else. Say something else. Lie. But it was as if his brain was stuffed with clouds. "He's in surgery. Not that you would care."

Masamune recoiled as though he'd been slapped. "How can you say that–!" Masamune's red-haired companion stepped in–Zeo couldn't seem to place a name on him. "Calm down," his friend soothed. "Why don't we just go?"

Bullheaded as ever, Masamune shook his head. He took a deep, shuddering breath, clearly putting effort into maintaining a cool temper. His companion murmured something in his ear, and Masamune nodded, inhaling and exhaling deeply. "Zeo, I don't want to fight over Toby, okay? That's not fair to him. Can we just call it a truce so long as we're around him, or something...?"

"Why bother?" Zeo asked numbly. He wasn't sure what part of his brain was doing the talking. "So you can abandon us again?"

Now he was starting to feel, finally. The sadness and the fury was crashing down onto him in a wave of emotion.

"Why did you abandon us..." His fist was starting to shake–he clenched it until he could tighten it no further. "Why did you leave...?" He whispered, suddenly lost in the space of his own mind. Memories–the three friends together. Masamune, at the airport–running from him, from Toby, from all their problems.

Masamune took a nervous step forward. "Zeo..."

That was all the movement he needed. His hand closed around something long and thin on the nightstand, but he could barely feel the rough surface of the material.

Protect. Who was he protecting? He needed a defence. Masamune was stepping towards him. Where was Toby? What was happening? Masamune, he was coming.

Zeo didn't even think–just the moment Masamune advanced on him, he reacted, panicking like a trapped animal.

Masamune's confused stare was the last thing he would remember before he lunged at him with an inhuman scream, aiming directly towards his neck. Neither him or his companion had any time to react.

But someone else clearly did.

He had the wind knocked out of him as somebody shoved Masamune aside, grabbed Zeo's wrists and slammed him to the ground. "No!" He gave a hoarse cry as he struggled to hold on to the weapon. "Let–go!"

"Let go of the knife," came the gruff response.

Zeo twisted in their grip, only growling. Long green hair fluttered in the corner of his eye. No matter how much he thrashed in the assailant's grip, they kept him pinned down.

Zeo kicked around wildly, forcing them to take a cautious step back, but they replied by twisting his hand, and a terrible blast of pain burst in his wrist. "Drop–the–knife!"

With a wail of agony, he let the object fall to the ground.

His head was swimming. His bag was in the corner. His bag. He should grab it, then escape. Staggering, clutching his head as the awful headache returned, he scooped up his backpack–almost staggering at the weight–and stumbled out the hall.

The minute he stepped outside, into the cool fresh air, the first thing he felt was confusion. What happened? He couldn't seem to tell if what seemed to have just transpired in the hospital was a dream or reality...

What was going on?

As he stumbled from the grassy hospital grounds, dazed, he failed to notice that police cruiser gliding silently behind him at a safe distance.

Masamune didn't have time to blink before Zeo suddenly lunged towards him. Ginga's gasp was hardly unnoticeable in his ear, but even then he didn't move, out of shock and surprise. He doubted his brain would have registered Zeo's sudden actions at all, if not for Kyoya suddenly pushing him out of harm's way and slamming Zeo the ground.

"No! Let go!" Zeo wailed, but Kyoya kept him pinned. Masamune knew he used to be famous for his athletic talents, but how did he acquire the sweet Judo skills? Probably military training. He might have been completely obsessing over them if not for his disbelief at what had just happened.

Kyoya wrestled with Zeo as the American scrabbled about wildly in a desperate attempt to free himself. He was breathing heavily, and Leone swung back and forth around his neck as Zeo thrashed.

Masamune stared down at his crazed friend in horror as the gravity of the circumstances finally hit. 'Did he...just try...to attack me?'

Something cold and hard plummeted in his chest, but he wasn't sure if it was misery or hatred. Either way, it felt stone-cold and heavy. Perhaps his heart had finally hardened into a rock and sank in his chest. Or maybe it'd happened long ago, when his problems in America first began, and he'd simply taken all this time to notice.

"Drop–the–knife!" Kyoya twisted the American's wrist behind his back, and with cry, he released his grip.

Panting and wiping sweat from his chin, Kyoya scooped up the object from the floor. His expression turned to disgust as he held out the object for them to see what it was:

"A pencil?" Ginga muttered, confused.

Kyoya glared at the wall as he flung it to the other side of the room. It hit the wall and fell to the floor with a clatter, rolling to a steady stop under the windowsill. "Figures," Kyoya muttered, his eyes following the harmless object. "Sorry for overreacting–I thought he was holding something dangerous." Swallowing, Masamune tried to summon the proper words to thank him, but his voice was lacking.

Zeo sat up with a wince, nursing his achy hand. Staring at his pathetic state, Masamune tried to feel sorry for him, but he felt nothing. His brain was still paralyzed. So paralyzed, in fact, it took him forever to realize Ginga was talking, then respond.

"Masamune! Masamune! Are you alright?" Ginga was shaking his shoulders, but Kyoya shoved him back. "Let him be," he muttered. "He's just in shock."

Licking his dry lips, Masamune managed to just barely bring a single thought to the surface. He turned to Kyoya.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

No hug, handshake, friendly nod, quick embrace, or even eye contact. Kyoya whisked out the room after giving Zeo one last wary glance and whispering, "watch out."

Zeo slowly staggered to his feet, hands shaking and knees looking like they were about to buckle.

He hid his face from Masamune as he shoved past them, but Masamune was certain he'd seen tears streaking across his cheeks. 'Poor Zeo.' That was what he told himself, but no actual emotion ran through his head at all.

A hand rested on his shoulder. "Masamune." Ginga's voice sounded slow and watery. "Should we go?"

Masamune didn't respond, he just walked out the room. He let Ginga guide him outside, without a single argument or word.

The ride home was a silent one. A couple of times, Ginga tried to force a conversation, but then faltered–Masamune let him. He wouldn't have responded either way, he was simply too stunned.

The memory replayed in his mind over and over again, like a movie, no matter how much he tried to force it out.

What had just happened?

His mind was doing cartwheels as it fully registered what had transpired earlier. If not for Ginga shaking him back to awareness at their stop, Masamune might have stayed in the train all night.

Holy crap...

What was Zeo thinking, he wondered? No amount of hatred could have possessed him enough to behave so drastically. There was something...erratic about his friend's actions, which worried Masamune.

What the hell...

When they finally returned to the Konzern household, brain-numbing laughter could be heard.

He followed the joyful sound, which seemed out-of-place in his current world of misery, and found Madouka and Nile sitting in the living room, chatting happily.

When Masamune entered, they both turned to him with joyous smiles plastered on their faces. Those smiles, he thought, were wrong, and he was glad to see them immediately wiped off to be replaced by worry.

"Did something happen?" Nile asked quietly. Had Masamune been in his normal state of mind, he might have inquired why the Egyptian was here again. "You two look like...something terrible happened," Madouka agreed in a quavering voice.

Ginga glanced nervously at Masamune, as though wondering whether or not he was allowed to explain.

There was no need. As he slowly, painstakingly sank down to sit on the couch next to Nile, Masamune began to describe what happened, in a quiet, timid voice.

"What about it?" Nile asked softly, when he was finished. "Do you... You think he's got a screw loose, or something?"

Masamune closed his eyes, opening and closing his hands in an attempt to relax. "I don't know," he admitted–when normally, he would have defended his friend without a second thought. "Honestly, I'm not sure why, exactly, I'm so..." He stared down at his quivering fingers.

"...Shaken," Nile supplied. Masamune nodded.

The Egyptian glanced to Madouka and Ginga, who sat worriedly on the couch beside Masamune. Seeming to understand, Madouka took Ginga by the hand and dragged him out the room with her hurriedly, saying "c'mon, Ginga." Briefly, Masamune wondered what she and Nile had been conversing so cheerfully about–before he ruined it.

Nile was silent for a long while. A couple times he shifted position, or sighed heavily. It was, surprisingly, Masamune who broke the silence. "I'm not boring you, am I?" He asked dryly, though the humour felt just wrong, wrong, wrong in his mind.

A bitter laugh sprang from Nile's lips as he shook his head. "You get used to it," he said softly, "sharing a place with Kyoya. I don't know how he knew where I lived or anything, but...one day he just appeared at my doorstep, saying he needed a place to stay."

Kyoya. Masamune thought back to the tough, ragged, veteran. He'd probably seen much worse than Masamune...and yet after a stupid incident that made no sense, Masamune acted as though someone had injected his brain with a freezing agent.

It was as though Nile could read his thoughts. "Don't compare yourself to that, though," he advised Masamune cautiously. "With all the...crap he's been through...he still hasn't fully recovered, either–only god knows if he ever will."

Masamune nodded, curling his knees to his chest like a child. "You know..." He stared vacantly into the distance, though he knew Nile was listening. Nile was a good listener. "I wish I'd known to make friends with you. You...you're a good person. I don't know how, or why, but...it feels like you just...you get it."

Masamune didn't know if he was making sense, but whereas before he sat small and quiet, now he didn't want to stop talking. "Ever since I came here, I can't help but judge everything I did when I was younger and just...point out all the stupid little mistakes I made. Especially now that all of them feel like a big deal. Like–like me leaving America. Or, just the way I acted–I feel like it was my mission to embarrass myself on international TV or something." Tears were running hot down his face, but he didn't stop.

"Or that I never sent a phone call or post card, or anything...I don't know what I was thinking–that going to the World Championships would cure Toby or something?" He gave a hoarse, bitter laugh. "I should've done something, anything...I just wish I'd done something different. I mean, seven years..." His voice trailed off and he collapsed, like a cut string puppet.

"I want to go home." His declaration was firm, though his voice shook. "I want back Zeo. I want Toby. I want everyone to be okay and alive, I want to stop crying. I want to move back to America!" His voice rose to an alarming shout. "I don't want to go back to Japan! I want to stay in America with Zeo and Toby and let us all just live together and be the brothers and friends we were, because there's nothing, nothing, nothing I want more than that right now!"

As he wiped the water from his eyes, he realized Nile was smiling and chuckling. "Hey, if that's what you want–not a problem. It'd be nice to have you in New York."

Masamune grinned a bit at the thought–it seemed a little goofy, thinking that these two sitting by themselves in the living room had once been sworn childhood enemies, standing across from each other in an enormous stadium.

"What happened, Nile?" He asked somewhat dreamily, feeling dazed. "How did...everything, how did everyone just...change so drastically?"

Masamune had never used that word–drastic–in his life. Yet, in his situation, there seemed to be no other word more appropriate for the occasion.

"We grew up," Nile said softly, after a long pause. "Nothing's changed, I guess–we just adopted reality."

His philosophy was bitter, harsh–like his tone, Masamune realized. He closed his eyes, picturing the twelve-year old pointing towards him with a challenging tone, his eyes hard and stony as he fervently boasted of the powers of the great desert.

It had taken him a long time to grow up–but, he wondered, how young had Nile been when he first grasped the truth of this harsh world? Buried deep in those jade-green eyes from his memories was the soul of a young teenager behaving twice his age, his face stuck in a permanent frown; the closest thing he could manage to a smile was a smirk. His irises were nothing more than green flecks of flint, and his steely resolve never seemed set on enjoyment.

Somewhere, deep in the corners of his heart, Masamune felt shreds of pity for the young man next to him, having already faced the consequences of reality at such a young age that it had poisoned his mind with bitter thoughts. He wasn't sure how his child self had missed so many details, but now he wondered about Nile–how had the man grown so bitter?

"Are you still up for the party?" The same man in his thought broke through them, and Masamune swivelled his head to face him, suddenly alert. "Party? What party?"

Nile sighed, crossing his arms. "Considering that all of you are bunking under the same sparkling roof, it's astonishing how slowly news travels."

"But what's this about a party?" Masamune demanded.

Nile's lips crawled upwards. "When we had lunch with Ginga and Madouka a day or two ago, Kyoya promised to hold a party–apparently, it's pulling through."

"What?!" Masamune sprang from the couch, gripping the armrest so hard he was surprised it didn't snap. "There's a party happening and no one TOLD ME?"

With a wince, Nile covered his ears, but managed to slip in a hasty mutter of, "it's happening tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Masamune started pacing frantically, running his hands over his clothes and through his hair. "What the hell–on such short notice? I can't believe no one told me–I'm the life of the party–" ("that you are," Nile muttered under his breath with an amused eye roll) "–and oh, crap! What am I gonna wear? I didn't think to bring party clothes–I mean, I kinda packed last-minute, I didn't exactly expect a national celebration or something–and oh, crap! I haven't cut my hair in months, it probably looks like–"

"Masamune," Nile cut in, his lips twitching in amusement.

"Yeah? What?" Masamune spun around, fixing together arrangements in his head.

"Have you already forgotten?"

"Forgotten what?" He responded, staring blankly at Nile. Madouka hadn't asked him to run an errand or something, had she? Surely, she of all people knew how forgetful he was, and knew better than to ask and expect him to do it...

Nile chuckled, shaking his head. "...Never mind. Hey, why don't we meet up early tomorrow and hang out a little before getting ready? I can introduce you to a few New Yorkers who're going to the party before it starts, and I'll help you get ready..."

"You're talking like a girl," Masamune teased–already they were stepping back into the familiar jibe of taunting and banter.

Nile cupped a hand to his ear. "What's that? Can't hear you over the cries of equality and anti-prejudice."

"Is that even a word?" Masamune laughed.

"Beats me," the Egyptian conceded with a shrug. "Your English is so weird sometimes."

"My English? I'm not the one making up words, here, you..."

Mijuki spat out a corner of plastic wrap, watching it distastefully as it fluttered to the floor. She ripped open the rest of the packaging, unwrapping her dinner. "I hate plastic," she grumbled. "Stupid hospital–do they really expect injured people to go through the strain of having to open their food?"

Kyoya gave a small chuckle in reply, but in truth, his mind was still on Masamune's old friend Zeo.

Why had the American reacted so violently? Kyoya had spotted Masamune and Ginga walking down the hall and, meaning to greet his friends, had left Mijuki's side to find them in Toby's room.

He perceived the attack before the thought had even formed in Zeo's eyes. And taken action, drastic as it was. But compared to the wild look in Zeo's eyes... Kyoya shuddered and pushed away all thoughts of the hot, shining desert.

But in any case, that kind of reaction wasn't natural. At least not in the eyes of a sane human being...

Kyoya stood. His thoughts couldn't be contained any longer. He had to see the room for himself. There was something else the young man was hiding, he knew it...

"Hey. Are you even listening?"

"Hm?" Kyoya had been so preoccupied with his own thoughts that he hadn't heard his sister. "Sorry. What did you say? I wasn't listening."

Mijuki gave him a girly punch in the shoulder–as girly as punches could get, at least. "Ugh. I was complaining about Nile. That bastard goes on and on about how he doesn't like me and Toby hanging out so much, but he hardly hangs around with me himself anymore."

Kyoya shrugged–Mijuki frowned. "Take a walk, jock," she advised warm-heartedly. "You seem pretty distracted yourself." She stuck out her tongue. "Cooped up in the hospital for too long? Now you know my pain."

Kyoya did his best not to crack a smile, but it still seeped through. "Sorry. I am kind of...busy, you could say." It was hard to remind himself that Mijuki wasn't counted amongst those in their circle of friends who were involved in their current situation of social angst.

Mijuki sighed and threw back her head on a pillow. "Told you. No one wants to hang with a patient." Her eyes clouded unexpectedly with sadness, making Kyoya hesitate as he stood. Before he could even ask, his sister answered. "Hey...bro... Kyoya..."

He sat back down, preparing himself. "Yeah?" He asked softly. Her tone was suspiciously wistful.

"Well... I kind a wanted to talk to you about..." She seemed to change her mind halfway, shaking her head. "Never mind. It's not important for now."

"You sure?" Kyoya stood hopefully, but he didn't like the sound of 'for now'.

"Yeah." Mijuki grinned. "It'll be fine."

"Okay." Kyoya stood, flashing a sneaky lion-like grin to match hers, and made a beeline for Toby's room. A small nagging thought told him he ought to bother her about the problem one more time, but his earlier suspicions proved more curious.

He took the ten-meter walk down the hall, and slipped quietly into Toby's room. There was no need to sneak around the hospital, he supposed–but old habits died hard, and Kyoya was their creature.

Stepping inside, he could already see, that it had been completely evacuated–no Toby, no Zeo–not even the hospital bed, though the pencil still sat harmlessly by the wall.

'Dammit.' So much for talking to the witness.

But amongst the chequered tile floors, he saw something else, white and small. As he leaned closer, he discovered that there were several of them, in fact, thin and pencils and no bigger than a fingernail.

He picked one up.

Pills.

Why were there drugs all over Toby's room? It would make sense, seeing as Toby was in the hospital, but... It didn't explain why were so many of them scattered across the ground. But taking another glance, he saw an empty pill bottle tossed aside, as if it had been knocked over carelessly without anyone noticing.

Turning it over in his hands, he saw no label... ..But slowly, the pieces began to fall together in his mind, like a mental reconstruction of a jigsaw puzzle...

Zeo Abyss? A drug addict?

His mind raced across theory after theory, tallying what he knew about the other young man: His past handful of years had become increasingly stressful until Toby began to recover, but addictions could last a long time, and Masamune's return could have spiked his intake. And his wild actions a mere hour ago...could that be the influence of the drugs, as well?

Problem was, he didn't recognize a drug–especially not a pill that would make anyone flip out as much as Zeo did. No, it had to be illegal or unheard of somehow, otherwise he would have known of it already. Unless Zeo was just a bit twisted in the head?

Holding it up, his finger brushed a small groove in the object. He brought it closer, squinting.

Engraved on the pill were two letters: HD.

Score two for the brain. HD pharmaceuticals... What was Zeo doing, dealing with them? He most certainly had to wonder... But the investigation would have to wait.

Slipping the tiny pill in his pocket, he could already feel the heavy weight of responsibility for this new information bearing down on his shoulders like a dark, thick storm cloud.

One that promised trouble.

"Julian!"

As the greeting sprang from delicate lips, Julian Konzern couldn't help but smile. A perk of having Sophie for a romantic partner, he supposed, would be the delightful acknowledgement of his return–from none other than the angel herself.

It was as if Cinderella had spotted her prince: Sophie rushed down from the top of the winding, palatial stairs and into his arms. As he spun her around, he breathed in the delicious garden scents that always seemed to wreathe about her.

She giggled as he set her down, and she lightly pecked his cheek. "If I had known you would do this every day after work," Julian mused, "I would have kissed you sooner." He kissed her forehead in return. "Have the days really become so unbearable without me?"

A light blush dusted Sophie's cheeks, but she laughed. "They were already quite unbearable before," she teased, "but finally, I get to show that affection publicly."

As she pulled him in again for another quick kiss, Julian's attention was drawn to their two companions in the room–public, indeed. Klaus was lying down with his feet on the couch, reading a magazine, and Wales was standing at the top of the stairs, carefully carrying something long and flat–it looked to be a chessboard. Although neither of them commented on the couple's antics, Klaus' ears were burning red behind his magazine and Wales was staring very hard at the wall.

"My good friends," Julian greeted as he and Sophie at last broke apart. "How was your day?"

Klaus and Wales both reacted as if an electric shock had been delivered through their bodies. Klaus stared at them, though a muscle in his jaw twitched, as if he was trying to figure out what to say. Noting the unusual reaction, Julian was about to ask their muscled companion what was the matter, when Sophie dashed up the steps to help Wales carry down the chessboard.

"Yes, that's right," Sophie mumbled, abashed. "Wales and I were...sorry! ...playing a chess game before you came." She jumped as one of the pieces were knocked over and, apologizing, set it back upright. Carefully, she and Wales maneuvered around the coffee table in the middle of the room, their feet treading cautiously across the soft carpeting, and set the chessboard down on the table. They both settled on a pair of couches across from one another, taking their positions to resume the game.

Julian gave her a disapproving look. "Disturbing a chess game to run to the front door? This game is ancient! It should be respected."

Sophie smiled shyly–Julian couldn't keep his throat from tightening as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, to be fair, I missed you very much. After spending so much time together last night, well...your presence was sorely missed."

Heat flooded Julian's chest, but he forced himself to make a stern face. "Even I'm not arrogant enough to think I am more important than a chess game."

Even Klaus chuckled, from the couch, and Sophie laughed. She grabbed his hand, threading her fingers through his–it was such a perfect fit, that Julian could have sighed. The sight of their intertwined hands was such a dream, to him, that he might just commission an art piece of their interlocked hands.

Julian leaned over the board and tapped a white playing piece. "Your queen is exposed," he warned his English friend. Wales gave a start and corrected his mistake, sending a bishop to clean out the threatening invader.

Sophie scowled up at him. "You should be helping me!"

Wales grinned slyly. "A friendship of fifteen years outweighs a romance of a week." At this, Julian couldn't help but smirk as he settled himself beside Wales on the couch. "I'm afraid he has a point," he conceded.

Before the friendly banter could continue on any further, Klaus cleared his throat.

Any reaction from their stoic friend, in the past, had captured the attention of the former Team Excalibur.

This day was no exception. The laughter died immediately and they turned their heads to Klaus, who had folded up his magazine and placed it on his lap. "We've been invited to a party for tomorrow," he rasped, his voice scratchy and harsh, but clear as usual.

"Really? By who?" Sophie inquired.

"Tategami called." Klaus reached into his pocket and dug out a crumpled piece of paper. "He said it was something he'd organized at a restaurant with Madouka and Ginga. A friend of his said that he could use his bar for the night. That's where it's being held."

A moment of stunned silence passed before Wales cut it short by asking "Tategami? As in, Kyoya Tategami?"

Klaus' brow creased, but whether his confusion was directed at Wales' question, or his puzzlement matched theirs, Julian wasn't sure.

"Yes. Do you know any other Tategamis?" Without waiting for a response, Klaus briskly finished with, "it's an informal occasion. The bar's on 5th Avenue. Be there at eight." He then flipped open his magazine and resumed reading.

Although Julian was somewhat uncertain what to think of the situation, Sophie clapped her hands in delight. "A party!" Her eyes shone brighter than crystals, and Julian could not compress a warm smile at her enthusiasm. "That would be a nice treat before we leave, don't you think?"

Wales seemed to recover from his shock much faster than Julian. "I suppose. Though I have to say, I really didn't think Kyoya of all people would volunteer to organize a party..."

Julian shrugged. "People change," he said softly, staring at the floor. His fingers curled around Sophie's possessively, and the Frenchwoman glanced at him upon the sudden gesture. But she met his gaze, her eyes were soft, and it seemed that somehow, she understood.

"Perhaps," she agreed. "But it seems to me some of these changes have made things better." This time, Julian couldn't stop himself from kissing her full on the lips.

After a minute, Wales stood–though Julian was only paying attention about halfway. "Er, right... I guess I'll just go to my room," the Englishman muttered. He hovered awkwardly for a few more seconds before he dashed up the steps, back to his room.

Sophie paused for breath with a giggle. "Dear me. It seems we have a habit of chasing away our companions, don't we?"

With a sideways glance to the armchair, Julian saw she was right–Klaus' magazine lay abandoned on the sofa, though he couldn't recall seeing the larger man leave.

"Oh well." As always, his eyes carried themselves back to the ravishing creature that was Sophie. "Think we can find some more... Alone time at the party?" He suggested between kisses.

Sophie paused and giggled. "I do suffer from chronic headaches..." Her lips folded into a playful pout. "We might have to leave the party early."

Julian chuckled. "What a shame."

Kyoya turned the pill over and over in his hands as he gazed at it. Behind him, the door opened and slammed. "I'm back!" Nile yelled, after a pause, adding "if you're here."

"'Course I'm here," Kyoya grumbled.

"Good," Nile shot back, "because you normally aren't at this hour." Kyoya rolled his eyes and Nile chuckled.

"So!" Nile flopped down onto the couch opposite of his roommate with a grin. "How's it feel to be a hero?"

The reaction was immediate. The hairs on the back of Kyoya's neck prickled, and a low growl rose in his throat. His grip on the armrest tightened, and he suddenly wanted nothing more than to wring Nile's long neck and throw the Egyptian all the way back home to his desert.

Nile raised his hands defensively, and his grin vanished. "I-I meant with Masamune. Today!"

"Oh." Kyoya relaxed, but his hands were still clenched into fists. Nile eyed them warily. "He told you about that, then."

The living room was silent after that, with both of them feeling awkward and apologetic. "How's Masamune?" Kyoya asked finally, breaking the silence.

"Quiet." Nile's reply was curt, and Kyoya wondered momentarily if he'd upset his friend. "Feeling better, though. He was a bit upset."

Kyoya gave a heavy sigh. "At least that's completely natural."

Nile's eyes glinted. "You're implying that something isn't?"

Kyoya held up the pill, and Nile's face paled. "Hang on...where did you..."

"It was in Toby's room." Nile seemed to relax, but he tensed again at Kyoya's next sentence. "I think Zeo...is taking these drugs."

"W-what?" Nile's voice was weak and cracked. His body was stiff and his eyes wide as they gazed upon the pill. "You're saying...that stuff..." He dragged his eyes to rake across Kyoya's grim, stony expression. "...is making Zeo...insane?"

Kyoya replaced the tiny object in his pocket. "I didn't say anything of the sort," he snapped. "But we ought to keep an eye on him."

"Whew." Nile sat back on the couch in a comfortable position, but Kyoya couldn't help but notice he was the slightest shade pale. "That's pretty... Kind of... Never mind." Nile pulled back his hair, shaking his head slowly. "I just can't imagine..." He turned back to Kyoya. "Will you tell Masamune?"

Kyoya snorted. "I don't know, should I? Could you, maybe?" He asked hopefully, but Nile wasn't fooled.

"I'm not gonna lie, you're the one who found it. And it might offend him that you told me first. If it comes from you, there's a lot less explaining."

Kyoya would have glared at him if not for the sheer justice in his reasoning.

"Fine," he growled. "I guess we could just...tell him when he's calmed down. But for now," he added, "I want to keep an eye on Zeo." The pill seemed to weigh ten times more than before, and burn in his pocket at the very thought of hiding that heavy suspicion. "I don't want any more accidents happening around him."

Nile shrugged. "At his worst, he only tried to kill Masamune with a pencil," he pointed out drily, his voice oozing with sarcasm. "What else could possibly go wrong?"

Kyoya really wished he hadn't asked, as now all the horrible possibilities were slowly playing out in his mind.

Alright, that's a wrap!

Thank you everyone for continuing to support this story! Next chapter is the party...So prepare for things to get exciting! Some real drama will be going down.

And of course, I want to point out that while this is a story, and the drugs and effects are slightly exaggerated at points, these issues really do happen. In my experience, serious issues can happen because of substance abuse, and I have seen many relatives and friends affected by harmful dosages and side-effects.

Once again, I would like to give a shoutout to Warrior of the Diamond Dust and !

Hopefully I will be able to update soon, but for now I'll keep my fingers crossed. The clock is ticking downwards until exams...

Peace out!

SITSAN