Chapter 13: A Beating Heart

The month of May brought pleasant weather, the cold finally disappearing around the second week. Alfred was quite overjoyed at the sunshine and blooming flowers. It made him feel even more energetic than usual.

On this particular day, he and his family decided to pay a visit to the local hospital. Emily carried with her some potted tulips she had been growing in her backyard.

"I can't wait for you to meet my grandparents Kiku," Alfred said. "They're gonna love you!"

"I hope I am to their liking," he responded. "I'm rather nervous to be completely honest with you."

"Aww, don't be nervous! They're good folks!"

They entered the lobby and Emily spoke with the receptionist to get the room number and visitor bracelets for them all. "Okay guys, put these around your wrists and don't take them off until we leave the hospital."

Kiku had never visited anyone at the hospital, not even his mother. He figured it was for the best that he didn't see her in one either. The four rode up in the elevator and reached the fifth floor, walking down the hallway. Some rooms were open with visitors, others with nurses, and some were closed or darkened for sleeping patients.

The Japanese teenager had hoped he'd never have to have an IV stuck in his arm, or see any of his friends in a hospital bed.

"So, what is it that your grandfather was admitted for?" asked Kiku as Emily and Matthew walked into the room.

"Oh, he has cancer."

Kiku regretted his inquiry. Alfred's face was unreadable, but the moment he stepped foot through the door, he grinned. "Grandpa!" He didn't want to go in after him, so he stood outside awkwardly, out of sight.

"Kiku, what're you doing out there? C'mon dude!" Alfred pulled him inside. Kiku noticed Martha was also there, sitting down on a chair. She waved at him.

Emily introduced him. "Mom, dad, this is the boy I was telling you about before. His name is Kiku Honda, one of Alfred and Matthew's closest friends."

He bowed. "H-Hello. Good afternoon."

The grandmother smiled. "Well hello to you too. I'm Amelia, and this is my husband, John."

Kiku looked at the man. "Hey, so you're the boy Al's always talking about. You must be a really good friend of his!"

John was pale, and his skin looked sickly. He looked tired, and even frail. The tubes going up his nose and into his arms unnerved Kiku. He never knew Alfred's grandfather was in such a horrible condition.

"Yes, I've become close to your grandson, John-ojisan. He's a wonderful young man, both him and his brother."

"Ha ha! I'd like to hope so."

"Aww shucks Kiku!" Alfred grinned. Matthew smiled.

"So Kiku," Amelia began. "How do you like living with my daughter and grandsons?"

"It's very pleasant. I couldn't have been in a more comfortable home, Amelia-obasan. I always feel welcome there. You and your husband have raised wonderful daughters."

"Kiku you are so cute!" Emily nearly shrieked. She cuddled him.

Amelia chuckled. "What a polite young man you are."

For a while John and Amelia spoke with Kiku, asking him about Japan and the honorifics he used. They were very intrigued, John especially. Emily smiled, noticing how much her parents were enjoying his company. They appeared to grow fond of him quickly.

"Hey Al, Matt, why don't you take Kiku down to the cafeteria and get something to eat? It's about lunch time."

"Oh okay. You don't wanna go mom?"

"No I'll eat later."

"Alright."

The twins and Kiku went back to the elevator to grab a bite to eat at the cafeteria. Emily sat down on an empty chair near the window next to Martha. She looked down at her folded hands for a moment.

"…so what did the doctor say?"

John looked at his daughters, and then at Amelia. She held his hand and gripped it. He began slowly. "Well, the cancer has spread."

Emily's heart sunk. "…it has?"

"Yeah. Those tumors are tricky as hell."

"How does it look?"

"Well it looks disgusting. They showed me photos of what they had to take out!"

"Dad…I meant the probability of you being a survivor."

He hesitated in responding. "…not good."

The woman buried her head in her hands out of frustration. Martha put a hand on her back. Amelia smiled weakly. "Emily, don't fuss so much sweetheart."

"How can I not mom? We didn't expect dad to get cancer all of a sudden."

"Yes, I know…but then, nobody really expects these things, do they?"

"So I take it the chemotherapy isn't working, huh?" Martha asked.

"Not as well as I thought it would. Lost a good portion of my hair from that. Maybe I shouldn't have come to the hospital in the first place."

Emily made a sound and Martha looked down at the tiled floor. John grabbed her hand. "Oh, come on now girls."

"Dad, do you think this is easy?"

"No, I know it's not. I lost a buddy to cancer, and I know how difficult this type of situation can be. But I'm not worried."

"Why not?!" Emily exclaimed. "The cancer has spread and the treatments are not working!"

"Emily—"

Her eyes glossed. "Why did this have to happen…? And you're…so nonchalant about it…"

"Princess, I didn't ask for cancer," he began gently. "And I certainly didn't ask for you girls or your mother to be put through this kind of stress. But you know, there are just some things we can't control. The doctors aren't miracle workers."

"But you're in so much pain… Dad, I hate to see you like this."

"I know, I know." He smiled genuinely. "But it's whatever the good Lord decides to do. And whatever He chooses, well, I'm just fine with that. Your mother too."

Emily wished she had that kind of faith, if only to help her get through this ordeal.

Alfred, Matthew, and Kiku sat at a table eating their lunch. Alfred of course bought a hamburger, Matthew a sandwich, and Kiku some chicken. "Y'know this hospital food is pretty good."

"Yeah, though I hope we don't have to always eat here." He looked a little somber. "I want grandpa to get better soon."

"Me too Matt…"

"Your grandparents are very kind and friendly," Kiku said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, they're the best! Mom and Aunt Martha love them a lot. They spoil Matt and me quite often, especially at Christmas time. Did you ever visit your grandparents?"

"No, they died before I was born."

"Ah…sorry."

"There is no need to apologize. It was an honest question."

"Matthew?"

The twin froze and blushed when he recognized the voice. "K-Katyusha!"

"Hello! Oh, hello Alfred and Kiku! Are you visiting your grandfather again?"

"Yeah. Our mom and aunt are in his room right now with our grandma. We're having lunch down here meanwhile. Wanna sit with us?"

"Okay!"

She sat next to Matthew who began to sweat bullets. Alfred smirked mischievously and Kiku tried to hide a smile.

"I'm on my break, so I came here to eat. It's certainly a surprise and a pleasure to find you three here! Now I don't feel so lonely."

"H-How is your volunteer work coming along?" asked Matthew.

"Oh it's good! I speak with a lot of patients and take notes on what the nurses do. But…when one of my new friends die…well, it's hard. You get attached to them, especially the ones who never have visitors."

"I can only imagine."

Alfred began to stand up along with Kiku. His brother looked panicked. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Oh, we finished our food. We're gonna go to the gift shop to see if we can get grandpa anything. Sorry Kat."

"It's fine! Uhm, I will stay here with you Matthew if you'd like?"

He blushed. "Uh…"

"That sounds great!"

"You are pleasant company, Katyusha-chan, so I am sure you and Matthew-san will have enjoyable conversations."

"Thank you Kiku!"

Matthew gave a death glare at Alfred who only snickered as he and Kiku walked away. "Was it wise to leave them together?"

"Yeah, Ivan isn't here. He's kinda banned from being at the hospital because he intimidates people." Alfred laughed, causing Kiku to giggle.

"What should we get your grandfather?"

"Hmm…a card would be good." He browsed through the selection. "Help me pick one." The two read each and every card, and when they came to an agreement, Alfred purchased it. "Okay Kiku—"

His friend was browsing through the stuffed animals. He smiled. "Want something?"

"This rabbit plush is very adorable, but…b-but I don't need it."

"Oh c'mon if you wanna buy it, just do it. No harm in that."

"No, it's fine."

Alfred shook his head.

They returned to John's room, Matthew being relieved he got away from Katyusha. He was crushing on her hard, and being alone with her made him extremely nervous. Fate decided to be cruel as she walked in with lunch.

"Good afternoon John!"

"Oh, Katherine!"

She giggled. "Katyusha."

"Right! So, what do we have today?"

"A piece of chicken with carrots, an orange, and apple juice."

"Aww, no steak?"

"No I'm afraid not."

"Well then, this is just fine. You'd think after doing all those tests they'd know just how much a person should be allowed to eat." Amelia set up the table as John slowly sat up with the aide of Martha and Emily.

"If you need anything, just call. I'm going to be at the reception desk down the hall."

"Alright, thanks Kat!"

"You're welcome John." She waved at the Jones twins then left.

John began to cut his chicken. "You should totally date that girl Matthew."

"Wh-what?!" His face became red.

"She's your classmate right? Kat's nice and pretty. I want grandchildren y'know. Your kids would be adorable."

"Gr-Grandpa!"

"Just be sure to always stay on good terms with that brother of hers. He scares the crap outta me, and I was in the army."

Everyone laughed while Matthew tried not to faint from embarrassment.

About three hours later, Emily decided it was time to leave. Kiku said goodbye to Amelia and John while Alfred and Matthew had left down the elevator minutes before.

"You're a good kid Kiku," John said. "I'm glad Alfred has a friend like you."

"Thank you very much John-ojisan."

"And when I get out of this damn hospital, I wanna try that mochi you talked about."

He smiled. "Of course. I will even make it for you myself, the most delicious kind I can think of."

"Sounds great!" He pointed at him. "I'll hold you to that." He smiled.

Emily put a hand on his shoulder as they walked down the hall. "My parents really love you Kiku. I'm so glad!"

"I'm rather happy myself. I was afraid they wouldn't."

"And why not? You're polite, kind, and cute as hell."

"Th-Thank you."

When they got to the lobby, Matthew was already there, with Alfred just catching up. "Ready to go mom?"

"Yeah. Let's go to the market since I need to buy groceries."

The younger twin followed her out the automatic doors, but Alfred and Kiku lagged behind. "Here."

"What is thi—" He looked stunned. "Alfred-san, you did not have to—"

"You were looking at it so adoringly I couldn't just leave it there. Besides, I know you like bunnies."

"Th-Thank you very much. I will repay you in some way."

"Aww Kiku, just learn how to accept gifts! Now c'mon. Let's go to the market and get some food so we can have dinner later!"

Kiku's heart beat just a little faster, his cheeks tinted with pink.

Finals week was finally upon them. Kiku asked for time off of work so he could study, which his boss so generously allowed. Alfred had gotten a job sometime in late May at a movie theater but couldn't get a few days off to study, so he had to sacrifice his spare time to read up on his textbooks instead of hang out or play video games with friends.

"This sucks…" Alfred huffed as he flipped another page of his math book. "My eyes are tired from reading." He rubbed them from underneath his glasses.

"You're almost done Alfred-san." Kiku was in the kitchen preparing them some lunch on a Saturday. Emily was out with friends and Matthew went to study at the library with Arthur.

"Kiku, how do you do it? Seriously… It's like you study for a few hours and then boom, you ace everything."

He smiled. "I spend hours on end the week before finals studying for all of my classes. But you have a more social schedule than I do."

"You take your work very seriously don't you?"

"Of course. It is my goal to get admitted to the college of my choice, and thus I must keep up my grades. Being in baseball and yearbook helps too."

He set down a plate of chicken, rice, and vegetables. "Thanks man. Uh…do I have to eat those too…?"

"Yes Alfred-san, you must also consume the broccoli."

He groaned and stuck the miniature tree into his mouth. "So how's yearbook going?"

"Quite well. I just don't like going to events to take pictures."

"But it's good that you're getting out there dude. You've made more friends that way!"

"That's true. Thank you for convincing me to join."

"No problem. The yearbook you guys made this year has a great layout! Not too thrilled about the cover though."

"I know. I didn't like it either. I will suggest something more aesthetically appealing next year."

"We came out sexy as hell in the baseball group photo, especially you. Man I could just kiss your face in that picture."

"A-Alfred-san that is not…uhm…"

"Ha ha! I'm just kidding! You blush so easily! I'm sorry. It's just kinda amusing to see you blush like that. You really are adorable y'know." He got up to get a soda. "Want anything while I'm at the fridge?"

"N-No I have my tea… Thank you."

He quietly ate his food, daintily picking up the rice with chopsticks and putting them in his mouth. He watched as Alfred did the same absent-mindedly. He leaned his head on his left hand, elbow propped up on the table. His eyebrows knit together as he attempted to memorize a mathematical formula, stuffing a piece of chicken into his mouth. Kiku was proud at how good Alfred became at using chopsticks. Now he refused to eat Asian cuisine with a fork.

Kiku broke the silence with a delicate question. "Alfred-san?"

"Mm?" He responded, not looking up from his textbook.

"…uhm…well this just sparked my interest from your comment about the baseball photo…but…if you had…uh…m-my sexual preference, would you have really…"

"Really what?"

"…kissed me?"

That stopped Alfred for a good few minutes, a bit shocked at what Kiku was asking.

"I'm sorry, I'm very sorry. I shouldn't have—"

"Yeah."

"…yes?"

"Yeah, I probably would have."

Kiku blushed again.

"I mean, you are cute, and it's not like I'd…like, kiss you on the mouth. Probably the cheek or forehead or something. Kissing the same sex like that isn't weird. I mean, other cultures do it, right? Hell I'd do it regardless of my sexual orientation. Of course, if I do that you might accidentally fall in love with me or something 'cause I'm quite a catch!" He laughed at his own joke. This only made Kiku even more nervous.

"I'm comfortable with my sexuality." He flipped another page and took a drink from the soda can. "You don't have to be afraid to feed your curiosity with those kinds of questions, not around me anyway."

"Uhm, y-yes. I understand. I will keep that in mind Alfred-san."

He smiled in response, then continued to study. Kiku watched him in silence and answering math questions if there were any, the blush never leaving his face.

The bell rung and the school grounds were alive with cheers for summer break. "Man, finally, school is out!" Alfred exclaimed, shooting his hands up into the air. "Time for fun and relaxation!"

Kiku smiled. "Yes, and work."

"Well yeah, 'cause if we don't have money, then we can't go anywhere!"

"Looks like I'll be hitting the beaches soon," Gilbert said with a smile. "Gonna pick up some hot babes."

Elizaveta laughed. "They'll ask if you have an illness first with your odd hair and eye coloration."

"Hey, chicks dig my crimson eyes and snowy white hair. It's a huge turn-on. Not to mention my five meter di—"

"Don't flatter yourself Gil."

Alfred began to laugh. "So did anybody sign up for Mrs. Pennington's zoo field trip for biology?"

"Oh yes, I believe we all did," Arthur replied. "She was quite proud that not a single student got a D or an F in the class. Dunno how everybody managed to pull that off, considering some of us aren't as bright as others."

"What the hell are you lookin' at me for?" Lovino questioned. "You think I'm stupid?"

"Well your grades could have been better."

"So you my mom now or what?"

"Ladies, please," Francis interjected. "We should all look forward to being able to wander around by ourselves without supervision at a large place like the zoo."

"Of course you'd enjoy freedoms like that you piece of filth."

Alfred shook his head as Arthur and Francis began to argue again, Kiku giggling behind a hand.

"You signed up for the field trip, Alfred?"

"N-Navah!" He blushed when the girl approached him. "Uh, y-yeah I did."

"That's wonderful! I heard that they just got some pandas admitted into the zoo."

"Really?! Awesome!"

"There's a few other species that are new this year too." She pulled out some papers from her bag. "I have a list right here. We can discuss them on the bus ride home, if you'd like?"

His heart beat faster. "S-Sure! So did they get any new monkey species? Like spider monkeys! Or…or maybe alligators! Are the river otters still there?"

The blonde and his friend began a conversation about the different species of animals as the students boarded the bus. Kiku looked onward as Alfred and Navah sat in a back seat. He had the widest grin on his face.

Huffing, Kiku sat down next to the window seat at the front of the bus and held his book bag against his chest angrily.

"Hey, Alfredo isn't sitting with you today or something?" Manuel asked as he came up to Kiku.

"Oh, no he has decided to sit with Navah-chan this afternoon."

The mop-haired kid looked back and noticed he was right. "Ah, I see. Mind if I sit here then?"

"Go ahead Manuel-san."

He put his backpack on the floor as he sat down on the aisle seat. He noticed Kiku looked a little irritated. "So you going on that field trip?" he asked to break the silence.

"Yes, of course. It's not often I get to visit a zoo."

"Ha ha! Same here. Man I haven't been to one in years. Have a favorite animal?"

"I have a preference for rabbits mostly. And cats. As for animals of the exotic variety…well I haven't thought much about it. I suppose a lot of animals are wonderful in their own right."

"That's true."

"You, Manuel-san?"

"Hmm…y'know I never thought about that to be honest. I don't think I have a favorite animal. Oh! Lizards! Lizards are fucking awesome. Yeah, I like those the best. And birds too, especially the colorful ones. I can't wait to go look around in the reptile and avian house."

"Alfred-san and Navah-chan seem to be very immersed in their conversation back there."

"Mm, not surprising. Alfredo loves animals."

"…he does?"

"Yeah. Whales are his favorites next to eagles. He knows a lot about animals, so I can only imagine he and Navah are comparing opinions on the new species that arrived recently to the zoo. They'll probably hang out together and talk about them or something."

"…I see. Does Alfred-san have encyclopedias of animals?"

"Eh…probably. I haven't been into his room in a long time. Why?"

"Well I know he likes dinosaurs, and that he has books on them."

"Oh yeah, dinosaurios. He loves those too."

"Then I must research on all the animals at the zoo."

"Uh…well you can kinda do that when you get there 'cause they have a little information plaque next to all the habitats."

"No, I must go to the field trip prepared to have heated discussions about animals. That way I will be able to answer inquisitive inquiries from visitors and my friends. I will read up on all the animals, all of them! I will become the walking animal encyclopedia before the day we go on the trip!"

"Er…wow?"

Kiku began mumbling to himself and then put on earphones to listen to music. Manuel raised an eyebrow, the most curious expression on his face. "Hmm…"

About a week before the field trip, Kiku stopped by the public library to check out some books about animals while Alfred was at work. He brought his laptop with him to research at a desk, various books about all families of animals stacked around him.

Matthew arrived at around seven to bring him home and informed him Alfred was picking up the slack because a coworker decided to call in sick today.

"Those are a lot of books you checked out…and apparently bought?"

"Yes, I bought old ones from the purchase cart. I want to be prepared for the zoo next week."

"Uh…but Kiku…you are aware that…this isn't a test or anything right? It's a reward for all of us since we did so well in biology class."

"Yes I understand, but there's no harm in reading about what you shall be observing, right?"

"No, there isn't."

Kiku ate dinner with Emily and Matthew, though he didn't chit-chat much unless the conversation somehow related back to an animal. When he was done with his food, he washed his dishes until they sparkled like the sun, and holed himself up in his bedroom.

It was 3am and he still had not gone to sleep.

"I will learn about all of the animals at the zoo, even if it gives me insomnia. Navah-chan is not the only one who can be informative about these creatures."

A/N: My God what happened to the layout of this website. It seems like every website layout is being renovated to catch up with the times. Well, I apologize for not updating in a year but I wasn't sure what kind of chapter I wanted to write next. I actually don't like this one. I think it kinda sucks. I have all these concepts written down but the more I stare at them, the more they don't seem to fit... So anyway, I might make the next chapter extra long, though I don't know when it'll be posted. School starts again in February so I miiight update before then. No promises!

I wanted to expand on Alfred's family which was the primary reason for the chapter being written the way it was. To be honest, this chapter was inspired and planned long ago when my aunt was admitted to a hospital because of cancer. Unfortunately she didn't make it, and died before Thanksgiving two years ago. I've been able to accept it at this point. I envisioned that hospital as I was writing this, so it was easier to visualize how I wanted this chapter to play out. I also have the headcanon that Alfred loves animals, even though he eats a lot of red meat.

Oh, ah ha, yeah I changed my pen name too. I'm sorry. I just thought since it's a new year, a new pen name was in order.

Kiku's crush on Alfred is starting to become more apparent. His kokoro is getting the doki dokis.