A/N: Ready for some pain my loves? A lot of pain on Kaito's end, cute kids, Rio and Miki and Yuma finally gets it. It took him long enough, poor thing. He's only young but even Haruto and Akina picked up on it quicker than he did. Anyway, going to have some pic of ocs for you guys soon, just so you can actually get a better idea what they look like if you want to. Probably next chapter when I can be bothered to scan the pics. Anyway, thanks for your loverly reviews and I'll see you guys next chapter. Enjoy. Oh, also, bumping it up to mature next chapter for implied mature acts, nothing graphic but more than has been mentioned so far, going up just so no one gets upset.
"I thought your spell protected Shark," Haruto said, leaning on Kaito's side. His big brother was still napping so it was ok for them to talk honestly. He'd been sure to keep quiet around Kaito. "Why is he hurt if you're protecting him?"
"My spell protected him from outside influences," Akina replied quietly, tilting her head. "Shark Drake is inside him, they're bonded, so Honour and Nightmare Shark can hurt him through Shark Drake and there's nothing I can do."
"Then what can we do to protect him?" he whispered.
"I don't know," she replied, shaking her head. "We need to figure something out fast though."
Haruto nodded as Ryoga's mother came out, crouching down and gently shaking Kaito awake. He groaned slightly and the pair climbed off him as he sat up, rubbing his eyes.
"Ryoga?"
"No, sweetie," she said quietly. "He's not awake, but I'd think after this long waiting, you should be allowed to see him."
Kaito was wide awake instantly and scrambled up, leaving Haruto and Akina curled up in the blanket together. He frowned and offered them his hands. Haruto smiled and they grasped his hands, letting him guide them away into Shark's room. Shark was lying in the bed, breathing softly with a breathing mask over his face. He didn't look like he was in pain at least. Akina quickly climbed up onto the bed and laid down next to Shark, closing her eyes and wrapping one arm around him.
"Please wake up…"
Haruto wanted to stop her crying but he didn't know what to say. If Kaito had been in Shark's place, he would have just curled up and cried too. He squeezed Kaito's hand gently and Kaito smiled, even though it was obviously forced. So Haruto pulled him over to Shark's bed side and glared up at him.
"Talk to him," he demanded. "If he can hear us, he'll want to know you're here."
Kaito frowned and hesitated before his trembling hand reached out and brushed Shark's cheek. "Ryoga… You have to wake up. Rio's coming home. You have to be awake when she comes back."
There was silence except for Akina crying and Kaito sighed. He went to turn away but Haruto caught his hand and pulled him back. He had to keep trying. He had to get Shark to wake up.
"Keep trying."
"Alright…" he murmured. "I- I need you to wake up, Ryoga. I… I need you to know that it was real. That I was wrong. That Envy didn't do anything and it was all real." He sighed and brushed Ryoga's hair from his face, leaning in to kiss his forehead. "Whatever you want, Ryoga, I'll give it to you. You wanted to talk, right? You wanted me to do something for you and I brushed you off and I shouldn't have. Please, wake up and I'll let you boss me around to make up for it. I'll do whatever it takes, wake up and I'll do whatever you want, just to let you know how much I care about you."
"Kaito."
He stood straight and turned to Mr Kamishiro. He beckoned him out and Kaito hesitated before petting Haruto on the head and following him back into the waiting room. Mr Kamishiro paused and Kaito's stomach churned. Something was wrong. Very very wrong. There was something in his eyes- that strange reddish pink like Rio's- that worried him.
"Is there something wrong?" Kaito said quietly.
"You," Mr Kamishiro said, glaring down at him.
Kaito gulped and pressed his back against the wall. This couldn't be good. "I don't understand. I've not done anything-"
"Stay away from my son."
Kaito gazed up at him for a moment before realising he was deadly serious. Stay away from Ryoga? He hadn't done anything to deserve that, had he? This might have been partly his fault but he hadn't done anything that serious, had he? Why didn't Ryoga's father want him near Ryoga?
"I'm sorry?"
"Stay away from my son," Mr Kamishiro repeated.
"I don't understand, Mr Kamishiro," Kaito said, shaking his head. "I've not done anything-"
"How old are you?"
"Eighteen, I'm not sure why that's-"
"And how old is Ryoga?"
Was that what this was about? "Fourteen…"
"Precisely."
"I understand you're concerned, Mr Kamishiro, really, I do," he said quickly, raising his hands in defence. "But I honestly care about Ryoga. I would never hurt him. Believe me, please. I wouldn't do anything to hurt him in anyway."
"That is not the point," he snapped. "He has been through enough, I will never let someone like you take advantage of him."
"I'm not-"
"He is underage," he hissed, leaning over him and glaring down into his eyes. "If you think for one second I will allow you to manipulate him-"
"I'd never do that to him!"
"Then you can keep your hands off of him until he's legal?" Kaito opened his mouth to yell at him, to tell him he'd never hurt Ryoga. He'd wait if that was what it took to make Ryoga safe and happy and comfortable with the situation because he wouldn't come between him and his parents but- "Tell me, Kaito, right now. Honestly. Is this some innocent romance or do you want more from him?"
"Stop it," he said quickly, moving away as much as he could. "Stop doing that. I'm not trying to take advantage of Ryoga or use him for anything like that. I'm not. I care about him."
"Given the chance, you wouldn't take him to bed then?" Mr Kamishiro snapped. "Tell me honestly that if he offered himself to you, you'd turn him down because he was too young? Tell me you've never thought about him maturely? He's a child. I am hardly impressed by the fact that he's getting involved in relations with other boys, but that is something I have to accept. If he was legal, I would allow the pair of to be together with minimal complaint. However, he is a child and you are an adult."
"I won't hurt him."
"No," he said. "Now, get out. Stay away from my son. Your brother can stay and see him, he obviously cares about Ryoga too, but you stay away from him."
"I won't."
"You will, or everyone will know you've been taking advantage of a child."
"I don't care. I won't abandon him!"
"Get out. Now. And if I ever find you've been near him again, I will have to take more drastic measures."
"More drastic-"
"Much as it pains me to uproot him and Rio, perhaps it would do them good to get away from this town. He's been nothing but hurt since he arrived here anyway."
Kaito took a sharp breath. He'd… He'd move his entire family, just to stop him seeing Ryoga? But Ryoga finally had friends and people to love him. Kaito couldn't let Ryoga be dragged away just because of him.
"Just… let me say goodbye to him then? Please."
Mr Kamishiro glared at him for a moment before he nodded and followed Kaito back into Ryoga's room. He sighed and smiled at Haruto who smiled back. He leant slowly over Ryoga and kissed his forehead once more, his lips lingering as his stomach churned and a lump formed in his throat. It was for the best, wasn't it? It was for Ryoga. He had to stay here. He had to stay with his friends. And he supposed Ryoga's father was only trying to protect his son, and in the state he was in Kaito couldn't blame him for being overprotective. Perhaps once things settled down, Kaito could look at returning to Ryoga's life. Perhaps they just needed time to be together as family and perhaps once Ryoga was awake and well, he'd be able to talk to his father.
"If you can hear me, please, know I only wanted to make you happy."
He remained there silently for a moment, eyes closed and just resting their foreheads together, stroking his cheek gently. Why couldn't they have been like this before? Why couldn't Ryoga be asleep, just lying there with him at home? Why did this have to be goodbye?
Finally, he drew away and straightened up. Akina was sitting on the bed, gazing up at him silently. He smiled and petted her head before turning away, Haruto calling after him. Tomiko glanced at him as he walked passed and moments later entered the room, calming Akina and Haruto. He didn't want Haruto to see him like this. He'd thought seeing Ryoga with Ken had been heart breaking, it was nothing compared to this.
He hurried blindly out of the hospital into the pale morning light. He just wanted to get home before things fell apart. And he did. He made it to his room and strode through into the shower, ignoring everything else. He stripped off and left his clothes in a trail behind him as he climbed into the shower, hoping to clear his head.
The water poured over him and Kaito leant against the tiled wall, thinking over the situation. Mr Kamishiro's words lingered in his mind. Honestly… his thought about Ryoga hadn't exactly been pure in recent times. He would be lying if he said he hadn't thought about Ryoga in inappropriate ways. There were times when his mind wandered and he imagined the gorgeous blush on Ryoga's cheeks as he undressed him, or the sweet little moans he made when he touched him just right. And he found himself wondering what Ryoga would be like in bed.
And Mr Kamishiro was right.
It was wrong. So wrong. Thinking about a fourteen year old like that. It was ridiculous. But he wanted it. He'd pushed away his own needs for so long. He'd struggled to be a good big brother and put aside his own needs for the greater good, for Haruto. And finally, he'd given in wanted something for himself and that one thing was wildly inappropriate.
And Mr Kamishiro was right about him too.
If Ryoga was ready, if he said he wanted to be more intimate with him, Kaito wouldn't have even hesitated. He wouldn't have said no. He would have swept him up and pushed him to the bed and looked after both their needs.
Soon, Kaito found himself climbing into bed and curling up under the covers. The kids were right, apart from that nap, he hadn't slept in at least two days… not since Sunday night. Ryoga had collapsed into his arms on Monday, and then been taken ill Tuesday night… it was at least forty eight hours since he'd last had a decent seep.
But how was Kaito supposed to sleep? No matter how tired he was, Ryoga- the boy he'd grown to adore- was in hospital, in a coma, maybe even slowly dying. And he couldn't even be with him. A small chocked out noise escaped him and he rolled over, screaming into his pillow in unbridled fury and frustration. Why couldn't he do this things right? Why couldn't he protect them? Why couldn't he be strong enough?
Rio sighed, sitting silently on the bench by the lake, gazing out at the water. It reminded her of home, their first home. She barely remembered it really. But she saw pictures of her and Ryoga. Before the accident that made everything change. The car crash had changed something. She wasn't sure what. No one had been seriously hurt. Broken bones and a few bruises. They were lucky. But their father had changed. He became stricter and harsher and more focused on work.
"Don't worry," Miki murmured from behind her. "Mother will sort everything and take you home soon. I'm not sure why you're here though."
Rio frowned. Miki really didn't know. She sighed and stood slowly, taking Miki's hand and pulling her away towards the bridge. Miki went to pull away but Rio squeezed her hand and tugged her along. She had to know the truth. She had to know so she could help.
Then ran across the bridge to the fairy garden and they stopped in the clearing. "Look at that statue."
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Miki snapped.
"Just read it," Rio demanded, pointing down at the plaque.
Miki sighed and walked over to the statue, leaning down and reading the golden plate. Rio watched silently as the colour drained from her face. There must have been an easier way to tell her but she didn't know how or how to make Miki believe her.
"I'm so sorry, Miki," she said softly as Miki straightened up.
"Why?" Miki hissed. "It's just some stupid joke. It's not real."
"It is," Rio replied. "That's why I'm here. You died when you were young and this whole thing is because they want to find your soul, your real soul, and save you."
"Shut up!" she yelled back. "Just shut up! This is stupid! People can't die and be bought back to life! It doesn't work like that!"
"But it is true," Honour laughed. Miki turned and Rio was sure she heard Miki actually growl at him. "My dear Miki. You died… and our job was to find your soul and bring the real you back to your parents. At least, that was the original goal."
"You don't get to talk about my family, you monster!" Miki said. She moved towards him but Rio put herself between them, holding Miki back. "Like I'd believe I word you said anyway."
Honour laughed and Rio pushed her hands against Miki's shoulders. "Don't. He's not worth it."
"But I'm only doing this for you, Miki."
He caught her arm and snatched her away from Rio, slamming her against the fairy statue. Miki gave a sharp cry, arching away from the statue only to have Honour's mouth fall over hers, silencing her and stunning her into stillness.
"Hey!" Rio shoved him away and got between them again. "Leave her alone!"
"Ken wanted to do that for a long time," Honour said, turning away. "Never had the courage though. In love with a dead girl, how pathetic."
"I'm not dead!" Miki screamed.
Honour laughed and waved his hand as he walked away. Miki waited until he was out of sight before slumping against the statue, burying her head in her hands, sobbing softly. Rio sighed and sat on the grass with her, gently laying her hands on hers only for Miki to snatch them away.
"I'm not dead," she hissed. "I'm not."
"I'm sorry," Rio whispered, gently wrapping her arms around the older girl. "I'm so sorry."
"No!" she cried, trying to push her away. Rio sighed and held her tightly, not letting go no matter how much she fought. "I'm not- I'm not dead! I can't be!"
"Shh, shh, it's fine," she whispered, stroking her hair gently. "Trust me, there are weirder things happen. It's going to be ok. I promise, you can come home with me and we'll help you and everything will be ok. I promise we'll make everything ok."
"Where are we going, Nico?" Yuma laughed, running through Heartland after Nico.
Part of this felt wrong; running after her and laughing just because she promised a duel but he needed something to lighten his spirits. After seeing Shark in the hospital and the look on Kaito's face he needed something. Shark had been terrifying enough but Kaito's face stuck in his mind. He'd been so broken and in almost agony at the sight of Shark lying there.
"Hey," Yuma called. "You hang out with Akina, right? Does she know anything about Shark and Kaito?"
"Of course," she replied. "She won't shut up about it. They like each other. They're on and off."
"Huh?" he cried, coming to a stop. Nico frowned and turned. "They're together?"
"Sort of," she laughed. "They're on and off."
"On and off?"
"Yeah, apparently, they're not getting to together quickly enough for the kids' liking." She shrugged slightly. "Come on, we're nearly there."
Soon they were in Cathy's neighbourhood, and Nico was pushing open the gets to an abandoned mansion. Nico lead him around the back of the house to an over grown garden with two podiums rising above the long grass.
"Come on," she called, disappearing into the grass and weeds. Yuma frowned, struggling to follow her through but getting lost in the maze of weeds and thorns. "Left, Yuma. To your left."
Yuma frowned but did as she said, walking to his left until he smacked straight into one of the podiums. He moved around slowly and found the stairs, climbing slowly until he emerged from the weeds and found Nico on the other platform.
"There you go," she laughed.
"What is this place?" Yuma called over.
"My old house," Nico said. "I used to duel my dad out here all the time."
"Then let's duel!" he cheered, punching the air. "Right Astral?" Astral nodded at his side. "Our hearts will connect and we'll have a new ally!"
Nico laughed slightly and nodded. "Let's have a fun duel, Yuma."
Yuma threw up his duel disk, connecting it to his wrist as an armoured gauntlet appeared on Nico's wrist, fan like pieces coming it up from a pulsing gem. It looked almost futuristic.
"Duel disk, set!"
Yuma's D-Gazer opened up and he caught it, slidding it into place and Nico winked, snapping her fingers in front of her eye and a black and green D-Gazer formed over her eye, the metal like wing forming again as she opened her eye again.
"D-Gazer, set!"
They whipped out there cards and grinned at each other as the AR-Vision activated.
"Let's duel!"
In the Next Chapter: Yuma and Nico's duel rages and Haruto tries to be some comfort.
Comfort in the Future
