#gladiatorshipping

Michael dreams, as he so often does, of the faceless gladiator.

(Faceless, in that the gladiator's face is always obscured by his hair, or conveniently placed shadows, or just indistinct in the way dreams are indistinct on details. Either way, Michael has never seen the gladiator's face.)

What does matter is that the content of the dreams is always the same. Michael faces the gladiator in the arena; Michael with a sword and the gladiator with just his fists. They fight, the gladiator always holding his own despite only having his fists, and while the dreams always end before the winner can be revealed, Michael always wakes with a sense of vague longing for someone who doesn't exist.

---

"You're going to be starting a group project today."

All at once the class groans, Michael included. As much as he loves history as a subject and always does his best on his assignments for the class, he can already see several of his lazier classmates not so subtly whispering and pointing at him. No doubt they want to get him in their group so he can do all the legwork.

The teacher claps his hands, hushing the class all at once, and continues. "This time, I'll be choosing the groups. You'll be in groups of two, so keep that in mind."

That grabs Michael's attention, prompting a worried frown as he looks around the quietly muttering class. He'd been planning on trying to team with Yuma, who can be forgetful but is a good friend and doesn't try to force all the work onto him, but if it's assigned teams, then he can only hope to get a good partner to work with.

"Please not someone lazy...please not someone lazy..." Michael softly mutters under his breath as the teacher digs out the list of students, bracing for whatever might come. Yuma would be his preferred option, and he's pretty sure he can work with a lot of the people in Yuma's friend group (except Tokunosuke, the little weirdo), but that still leaves a lot of room for someone useless-

"-Michael? Michael!" Michael abruptly snaps to attention at the sound of his name, ignoring the wince of sympathy from Yuma as he focuses back on what's actually going on.

"Sorry, yes?"

"As I was saying, you'll be working with Alit for this." The teacher frowns at Michael briefly before moving on, leaving him to twist around in his seat to glance at the mentioned classmate. Alit glances back at him, shooting him a thumbs up and a grin, and Michael, for a single moment, can't help but feel a sense of familiarity. He shakes that feeling off just as quickly though, dismissing it as just his mind screwing with him. He barely knows Alit after all, really only recognizes him as one of the Barians and one of Yuma's friends. There's no reason for Michael to think he knows Alit more than that.

Twisting back around to face forward again, Michael settles in to note down the requirements for this project. As little as he knows about Alit, at least he's not Tokunosuke.

---

"Hey, III!"

Michael's packing up his belongings after school lets out for the day when someone abruptly speaks to him. Turning to look, he sees Alit standing nearby, waiting for him to finish packing up.

"Ah, I go by Michael now, not III." Michael says, ignoring another flash of familiarity as he stands and faces Alit.

"Right, right! Sorry!" Alit apologizes, grinning without a hint of awkwardness, before moving on. "I was going to ask where you wanted to meet up for the project."

"Oh!" Michael thinks for a moment. "It can't be my place, we're still living in a hotel until our home is a bit more done. Is your place good?"

(Now that things are going back to normal, Michael's family has been getting the old museum they once used as a hideout renovated into an actual home, bit by bit. It's coming along, but notably still not done.)

"Yeah, my place should be fine. It's big enough we can probably be unbothered." Alit shoots a glance over at Girag, who seems to be talking to his assigned partner, before refocusing on Michael. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, I've got my stuff together. Let's go."

---

As Michael and Alit approach the Kamishiro mansion where the Barians have been staying, Michael can see that the place has been cleaned up significantly compared to the last time he was here. A lot of the once out of control ivy has been cut back, the grass trimmed, and on stepping inside it becomes apparent that the building has been significantly cleaned from its years of abandonment.

"Wow, you've put a lot of work into cleaning up," Michael says as he looks around. Beside him, Alit huffs, but manages to look a bit pleased at the comment.

"It was a pain convincing Vector to help, let me tell you. I don't know what he even does half the time- here we are!" Alit walks into what Michael figures is the dining room, tossing his bag on the floor before taking a seat at the table. Michael follows suit, picking a random seat and setting his own bag on the table to root through it for his tablet. Nearby, Alit leans forward, visibly perking up at the sight of something in his bag.

"Hey, what's that gauntlet for?" Alit points at the flash of silver metal, and Michael pauses before pulling out the full gauntlet.

"It's part of my D-Pad. The actual pad part connects to the gauntlet when in use." Michael puts on the gauntlet, looking back up to see Alit staring with an unreadable look.

"Alit? What's up?" Alit blinks at the question, then, shaking his head, smiles his cheerful grin.

"Sorry, it's just a distinctive design. Where'd you get it?"

"My brothers use similar designs, we had our pads custom built." Michael takes the gauntlet back off and puts it back in his bag, grabbing his tablet as he was originally intending to. "We should get started on planning for our project. Is there anything you wanted to do?"

"...We can pick any subject, right?" Alit mutters, thinking.

"Yeah? Anything covered in class so far." Michael pulls up the list of intended history topics on his tablet. "I have the list of what the class has already gone over before we joined."

"...Did they cover Ancient Rome?"

Michael scans through the list quickly, checking for Alit's suggestion. "Yeah? Is that what you want to do?"

"Yup! I used to be a gladiator in my past life, so-" Alit starts, only for Michael to gasp and drop the tablet to the table, eyes wide in surprise.

"You were?! What was that like!?" While Michael knows the Barians had past human lives, it's not like he got to go to the Number Ruins that would have recorded those past lives, nor would the Barians themselves have told him anything.

(And perhaps his mind pulls up his recurring gladiator dream, but he brushes that aside as coincidence.)

"Well, I faced all kinds of different opponents for starters! If I had kept my scars from back then, I could show you- I had a sick one right here from that time someone got me with a spear!" Alit gestures at his left arm, and Michael can almost imagine the scar that would have been there.

"That's really neat! You must have been really skilled too, if you survived all those fights!" Alit laughs at Michael's exclamation, clearly amused, before answering.

"I won every battle I was in!" A pause, Alit's expression sliding into something more melancholy, before he continues. "...Well, almost every battle. There was one person I couldn't quite beat."

"One?" Michael cocks his head. "I thought if you lost in a gladiator fight..."

"That was how it worked. But he...he wanted more chances to fight me. No one would have been able to stop him from sparing me anyways, so..." Alit lapses into silence, his normal energy dulled, before he seemingly recovers himself, leaning forward to look at Michael's tablet again.

"Hey, let's see what the internet has to say about this stuff. Maybe we can turn up something interesting, you know?" Alit still sounds a bit melancholy, but Michael has enough sense to not push it, so instead he just moves on and starts searching for info to get started. The research quickly turns into Michael pulling up various increasingly dubious websites and reading aloud just to see how Alit will react, the once-gladiator always reacting in varying degrees of confusion and outrage at any inaccuracies.

"No, the arena at Spartan City was never used for mock sea battles! It wasn't built for that, it wouldn't have contained the water!" Alit huffs, annoyed at the latest wild claim. Michael can't help but snicker, starting on a note about that before Alit suddenly interrupts him, stretching his arms above his head as he does so.

"We've been at this for a while, wanna have a duel break? You brought your pad and everything!" Alit smirks, and Michael is about to protest, but something convinces him to take that break.

(It's probably his competitive streak convincing him to do it, Michael tells himself, even though that doesn't seem quite right. What else could it be?)

"...Alright, let's go!" Michael grabs his D-Pad out of his bag and stands up, following Alit out to the (significantly cleaned up) backyard. There, the two square off, both engaging their D-Pads and staring each down intently as they let their respective Pads auto-shuffle their decks.

"You ready?" Michael asks, blinking slightly as his Gazer tattoo kicks in, tinting his eye from green to dark pink as the AR overlay comes into visibility. Across from him, Alit stares, seemingly distracted by something, before abruptly recovering himself and bracing for the duel as his own eye flashes red.

"I'm more than ready!" A moment longer, both weighing the other up, then, both in unison:

"DUEL!"

---

"Hey, I didn't know you ran XYZ Import!" Alit exclaims after his loss, watching as Michael removes his deck from his Pad. Michael blinks, a cheeky grin crossing his face at the mention of the Spell card.

"I had to start reworking my deck now that I don't have Numbers anymore. Besides, it turns out it's fun to steal other people's monsters from them." Michael pauses for a moment, thinking, then decides to follow up with a very prideful "Ask Mizael about his Tachyon Dragon."

"Wait- What did you do to Mizael's Tachyon Dragon?!" Alit splutters, eyes wide as Michael just barely stifles a snort.

"Me and Chris stole it from him. He made us give it back, but I don't think he liked it when we did that."

"Knowing him? He would have hated that!" Alit breaks down laughing, Michael joining in as his effort to hold back his own laughter fails. For a moment, the two take humour in Mizael's misfortune, then Michael manages to recover enough to talk about what else is on his mind.

"...During the duel, you kept staring at my Pad. What was up with that?" Michael holds up his still gauntleted arm for emphasis, watching as Alit blinks and frowns slightly.

"...I'm not sure. I think it just felt familiar, seeing you wear that gauntlet, but I don't know why." Alit's admittance gets a flinch out of Michael, who suddenly recalls his own familiar feelings, then slowly, eyes wide at the realization that the familiarity is mutual, he starts to form a response.

"You get that feeling too-"

"What is he doing here?" Anything Michael might have said is cut off by Mizael's abrupt appearance, the man staring at Michael in surprise. Michael stares back, awkwardly waving hello as Alit whips around to yell at Mizael.

"I brought him here! And what's this about you getting your Tachyon Dragon taken from you?!" Alit's shout gets a shocked flinch out of Mizael, the Barian fixing a glare at a suddenly very smug looking Michael.

"You dare crow about that?!" Mizael seethes, fueling Michael's pride as he stifles a laugh in response.

"Come on, your reaction was kind of funny!" Michael shouts, watching as Mizael continues to seethe.

"And to think I respected you and your brother!" Mizael storms off, leaving Michael and Alit to glance at each other in confusion before running after Mizael to ask what he meant.

(In all the excitement, the out of place familiarity is completely forgotten.)

---

As work progresses on the group project and the weeks pass, Michael finds his out of place familiarity with Alit only growing. He tries to chalk it up to just getting to know Alit better as they work together, but that doesn't seem quite right, as the jolts of familiarity strike at odd times, such as when him and Girag get into a playful fight during a study break, or when Alit reminisces about what is very clearly his past gladiator crush.

(Michael perhaps wishes Alit maybe wouldn't reminisce about his past crush so much, for some reason.)

At the same time, Michael's gladiator dreams intensify, the dreamed fights becoming more detailed (but still never showing the gladiator's face). A new dream also enters the cycle, one where Michael is arguing with what he assumes is an advisor of some kind over the gladiator fights.

("Sir, if he beats you in one of these fights, then-" The robed man cuts off as Michael raises a hand, frowning at the warning.

"He won't kill me if he wins, if that's your concern." The advisor opens his mouth, but Michael continues on. "If your concern is that it would just look bad if I lost, then tell me. Would you really be able to make me stop fighting in the arena, just to protect my reputation?"

The advisor doesn't answer, and the dream always cuts there, never quite resolved.)

(Michael still doesn't know what to make of this recurring theme.)

---

"Hey, we going back to my place again to work on the project?" Alit leans back against Michael's desk as he packs his stuff, watching as he makes sure everything is secure in his bag.

"Actually, I was thinking we could go back to my place. We got most of the renovations done by now, so we've officially moved in." Confident that his stuff is secure, Michael pauses to send a message to his family letting them know that he's bringing Alit before standing to leave.

"You moved in?! That's great!" Alit delightedly whoops, standing upright and falling in step with Michael as they leave the classroom. The two chatter happily as they head for the school exit, updating each other about their lives and housemates/family members, right up until they reach the exit.

"So then our father came in- ugh!" Michael cuts off as a sharp breeze blasts him in the face the second he steps outside, sending his pink curls blowing around as he recovers himself. Looking up reveals heavy cloud cover, the kind that promises a coming storm, and Michael can't help but groan at the sight.

"Damn it, I forgot there was a storm coming. You want me to ask Chris for a pickup?" Michael's already reaching for his crest bracelet to send a message, only for Alit to grab his arm and tug him along.

"A bit of rain won't hurt us if we get caught in it, let's go!" Alit lets Michael go and runs ahead, leaving Michael to hurriedly catch up with a shout.

---

The two make it to the Arclight residence just as the rain comes, Michael scrambling to open the main doors to let himself and Alit in before they get too wet. Inside, the patter of the rain echoes against the stained glass, a warning that they would have been soaked had they been any slower at making the trip.

"Oof, this place is huge." Alit looks around the high ceilinged entrance hall as he speaks, his eyes landing on the massive statues at the edges. "Your family chose to live here?"

"We have a taste for dramatics." Michael shrugs his shoulders. "Come on, I'll bring you to the sitting room so we can work." He sets off towards the room in question, Alit in tow.

"We should be able to work in here-" Michael steps in, only to come up short at the sight of Thomas with what looks like his entire tournament deck scattered across the coffee table. Behind him, Alit comes to a halt as well, peeking over Michael's shoulder to see what's going on.

"Thomas, I thought you only worked on that in your own room." Thomas looks up at Michael's comment, an eyebrow raising at the sight of him and Alit standing in the doorway.

"Well too bad, I thought I'd work out here today. Go work on your project with your boyfriend elsewhere." Thomas' remark causes Michael to audibly choke, his face going pink from embarrassment as he struggles to salvage the situation.

"I- he's not-"

"Oh? Then why do you complain so much about his gladiator boyfriend? I could've sworn you were jealous..." Thomas stands, smirking as he latches onto Michael's discomfort. Behind Michael, Alit lets out a surprised noise, but before he can say anything Michael blurts out a jumble of words to get out of the situation.

"We'regonnaworkelsewherecomeonAlit!" Michael whips around, staring at the floor to obscure his growing blush as he rushes off towards the dining room. Alit pauses before rushing after him, and for a second, Michael thinks he's escaped his brother's torment, then-

"Make sure you tell Alit all about your gladiator dreams!" Thomas yells after him, cackling as Michael yells vague threats back down the hall towards him.

For several moments, as Michael and Alit reach the dining room and set up camp there, no one speaks, leaving Michael to stew in his embarrassment. That doesn't last long though, as Alit finally (awkwardly) breaks the silence.

"Michael, are you actually jealous of the prince?"

"It's not- wait, he was a prince?!" Michael shrieks, a stab of what he's slowly realizing is in fact jealousy striking inside him again.

"Yeah! That was how he could keep sparing me after our fights- who would be able to make the prince do anything?" Alit's explanation makes sense, but does nothing to ease Michael's envy.

(Maybe, if Michael were calmer, he'd realize there's something familiar about the fact that no one could make the prince do anything, but he's too distracted to realize.)

"Besides, he's dead! He was my first partner, but..." Alit trails off for a moment before continuing on. "...But you don't have to worry about him."

"I don't?" Michael's heart skips a beat as he dares to hope that maybe, just maybe... "Then you actually..."

"Yup!" Alit says, reaching out to hold Michael's hand. "I guess you've just got that kind of charm."

Michael blushes again, but this time for much happier reasons than before. For a second or two, he lets himself think that maybe Thomas' teasing led to something good, but then Alit brings up the other thing Thomas mentioned.

"So, what was your brother saying about gladiator dreams?"

Michael looks away, suddenly awkward. "Ah. I keep having this recurring dream about fighting a gladiator in an arena. It's always pretty much the same, I don't get to see his face or see how it ends, but I always have a sword and he's always fighting with his fists."

Alit freezes, eyes wide, and Michael, fearing that he somehow managed to ruin his budding relationship within moments of starting it, scrambles to smooth things over.

"Well, it doesn't really matter since I have a real gladiator, right? Besides, we should actually get to work." Michael pulls his tablet out of his bag to get started, and for a second Alit looks like he wants to say something, but then shakes his head and focuses in on work.

---

That night, as the rain builds into a full storm, it becomes clear that Alit cannot safely go home. Instead, he and Michael set up for a sleepover in the sitting room, the two building up blanket nests on the floor and talking late into the night as the wind howls outside and beats at the windows.

(Sometimes, Michael catches Alit looking at him funny, but any attempt at prompting him just results in the conversation being redirected, so he just stops trying.)

Eventually though, sleep does come, and with sleep comes a new dream.

Michael is standing in front of a throne, surrounded by advisors and guards. Below, forced to his knees and head bowed so that he still cannot see his face, is the gladiator, limbs chained and another guard standing behind him.

"He's innocent! He could never commit the crime you describe!" Michael springs to the gladiator's defence, ignoring the hostility directed at said gladiator from all the palace staff. "Release him now!"

"Unfortunately, we feel your judgement on this is clouded." The advisor standing next to Michael states, looking at him with a mix of pity and condescension. "It would not be wise to have someone who plotted against you released back onto the streets."

"He wouldn't plot against me!" Michael yells, desperation rising up in him. He has to do something, anything, to get him released!

"If none of you will let him go, then I have no choice but to-" Michael's words come to an abrupt halt, some great force falling over and overwhelming him. He fights against it, fights to finish his sentence and save his lover, but his body won't respond-

-No, it's responding to something else. Michael can only watch in growing terror as he gazes coldly upon the gladiator, helpless to stop himself from issuing his judgement.

"I see, I shouldn't have let him get so close to me. Take him to be executed, then." Michael screams helplessly from within, unable to do anything as the gladiator's head whips up in shock-

-And then his heart freezes as he finally sees his face and realizes that it's Alit.

---

Michael abruptly snaps awake to pitch darkness, tangled in his blankets, and for a moment he panics and thrashes around, thinking he's still in the dream, still being controlled by something, then a hand hits his shoulder.

"Hey, easy Michael! The power just went out!" Alit's voice sounds in the dark, and Michael freezes as he remembers his nightmare of Alit being sent to his execution.

"...I'm fine, Alit." Michael has to force himself to calm down and brush off the nightmare as something Not Real. "I just had a nightmare, and waking up in the dark didn't help."

Alit goes quiet, considering, then slowly shifts over to lean up against Michael. Michael accepts it easily, as rattled as he is, and the two stay like that for a moment, giving Michael the chance to calm down and reorient himself.

"...What happened in your nightmare?" Alit's voice is unusually serious, giving Michael pause, but he shakes off his unease and forces himself to speak.

(It's nothing. It's just him still being rattled by a nightmare, he tells himself.)

"...It was one of those gladiator dreams. The gladiator was being accused of plotting against me, and I tried to defend him, but then something took control of me and made me send him to be executed." Michael pauses, bracing himself. "...Then the gladiator looked up, and... it was you, Alit."

Michael squints through the dark, struggling to see Alit's reaction, but he can't tell much beyond that he's gone very quiet. After a bit, during which Michael can only sit in silence and wait, Alit slowly speaks, his voice coming hesitantly.

"...Michael..." Alit stops, pauses, tries again. "...You dreamed of my actual execution."

"What?! How-" Michael starts, only to be interrupted by Alit.

"Just listen. We've both been feeling really familiar with each other, right? We tried to talk about it at my place, but we got interrupted."

Michael makes an affirmative noise, not sure where this is going. In turn, Alit pauses again, bracing himself, then continues on.

"I think...your dreams about fighting a gladiator are actually memories of your past life as the prince." Alit stops talking, leaving Michael to sit there in stunned silence.

"...This is a joke, right?" Michael waits for Alit to admit it's all a bad joke, but he stays silent. "Alit, I'm not- I'm not the prince!"

"I didn't say that, I know you have your own life!" Alit rushes to explain his logic before Michael can question further. "What I'm saying is that your soul was once his soul, then when he died, it eventually got reincarnated as you."

Michael doesn't know what to say to that. All he can do is coil in on himself so that his knees meet his chest and listen to the wind and rain pounding away outside as he absorbs what can't possibly be- but has to be, it's the only explanation for how he could possibly be dreaming these things and be so familiar with Alit- the truth.

"...Do you think that's why I manifested gladiator armour when I dueled Yuma?" Alit makes a confused noise, so Michael explains the memory of that duel. "When my family was still seeking revenge against Faker, I became convinced that Yuma and Astral were threats to the plan. Because of that and my jealousy of Yuma's family, I demanded he duel me, and partway through the duel I somehow gained an entire gladiator suit of armour. At the time, I thought it was a manifestation of my anger and the extra power I borrowed from my father for the duel, or a sign I couldn't control all that power, but if I'm some sort of reincarnation..." Michael hugs his knees tighter and tunes out Alit's reaction to his story, his mind running through all the little things that make up his life.

(His love of history. His preference for the Chronomaly archetype. (Oh crap, would that make his soul a type of out of place artifact?) His draw towards swordplay and the ease it came to him, despite having no formal training due to the revenge quest and then investigating the Barians. How much of that is truly him, and how much is his soul echoing who he used to be?)

"...You doing okay?" Alit asks, and Michael can only mutter a quiet, shaky 'no' as he holds back tears. Alit seems to think for a moment, taking the chance to cuddle closer to Michael in the meantime, then carefully speaks again.

"Hey. I know how confusing it is to find out you had a whole second life. I know I was taken off guard when my human memories started coming back at Spartan City-" Alit breaks off abruptly, leaving Michael to look in his direction in confusion.

"...Alit?" Michael's prompting jars Alit back into action, the Barian clearly coming up with some idea as he stares at Michael in the darkness.

"...What if we tried going to Spartan City? It might help you learn more about him, and you'll probably enjoy the trip." The suggestion takes Michael off guard, his feelings still a mix of shock and confusion, but...

...But if it'll help, he'll do anything.

"I'll do it. I never got to see any of the Number ruins, and if it means I can figure out what's going on..." The dreams/memories are weighing heavily on Michael, the out of context glimpses of an ancient prince's life only serving to confuse him in his current life. The storm blowing outside seems to echo his confusion, a sharp gust of wind whistling loudly before dying down a bit, and it's all Michael can do to just stay calm.

"That's great!" Alit seems excited by Michael's acceptance, and whoops loudly before he can stop himself. Michael scrambles to shush him, glancing up at the ceiling, but it's too late, as shuffling footsteps can be heard moving around upstairs. The pair freeze, silently glancing at each other as the footsteps approach, then, heralded by the light of a flashlight, Christopher appears in the doorway, blinking in annoyance at Michael and Alit.

"What is going on down here?" Chris asks, clearly having been woken up by Alit's whoop.

"Sorry, the blackout woke us up and we started talking." Alit manages to speak first, covering for the still shaken Michael. "We'll go back to sleep soon."

"...Alright. Good night." Then, Chris' gaze softening slightly as he looks at Michael: "Try not to stay up too much longer talking to your boyfriend."

Michael blushes slightly, muttering something incomprehensible as Chris walks away, and Alit can't help but snicker and elbow him in reaction.

"You look like a fluffy pink tomato, Michael!" Michael elbows him back, roughly, and soon the two are elbowing back and forth, the seriousness of the moment forgotten as they playfully wrestle each other.

---

As it turns out, it was remarkably easy for Michael to convince his family to do a trip to Spartan City on the pretense of a special date trip for him and Alit.

(At the very least, Thomas in particular seems to enjoy teasing Michael about the trip being a date, and as much as he protests, he can't really deny that it kind of is a date?)

And so, several weeks later, Michael and Alit find themselves standing in the ruins of the ancient arena, being jostled by various tourists also trying to get a look at the place.

"...I'm starting to think Chris had the right idea staying back at the hotel. I'm going to end up hot and possibly sunburnt for nothing." Michael mutters, adjusting the brimmed cap covering his hair as he struggles to get a glimpse of the artwork covering the arena walls. Beside him, Alit looks just as annoyed, huffing loudly before abruptly taking Michael's hand.

"Alright, new plan. Why don't we go explore other parts of the city for now? We can come back later when it's less crowded." Alit grins, and suddenly Michael isn't feeling so grumpy about the fruitless trip to the arena.

"Okay. I heard there's supposed to be a bunch of other historical stuff around here that I want to see." Michael smiles back, and together the two begin to maneuver their way through the crowds to leave the arena.

---

Of course, the best time to visit a historical ruin without other tourists running around is at night. Michael quickly gets dressed, glancing at the bedside clock to see it's currently one in the morning before activating his crest bracelet. The familiar portal appears, spiralling open in the air beside him, and Michael lets it take him, willing the other end to open at the arena.

As he rematerializes in the arena and looks around, Michael can't help but feel a sense of deep familiarity with the ruins. Like he's been here before, like he's held a sword and fought here ages ago-

"Ugh..." Michael shakes his head to dispel the memories that aren't his, but they don't quite go away, instead overlaying his own curiosity to create a confusing mix of emotions as he looks around. The confusion only heightens as he explores further, getting harder and harder to stay focused, and just as Michael realizes he shouldn't have come here alone, as he stands in the center of the arena and fights to keep a grip on reality, he flashes back.

---

Michael stands in the arena as it once was, the stands packed with cheering people. In his hand is a sword, finely detailed and inlaid with a green gem in the pommel, and in front of him is Alit, struggling to prop himself up despite his wounds.

The crowd roars louder as he points his sword at the wounded Alit, and Michael knows what they want. They want blood, they want to see their prince secure his victory over the defeated gladiator, but for some reason something in Michael won't let him. Instead, he points his sword back down at the ground and steps back, giving Alit the space to sit up.

(The roar of the crowd turns to confused muttering, but he doesn't care. What can they do to make him finish the man who gave him such a good fight, anyways?)

"Why... why don't you...?" Alit asks, and Michael blinks in surprise before answering.

"Do you want to die?" Alit doesn't answer, so Michael continues. "You gave me a better fight with your fists than anyone who came at me with a weapon in hand. Go patch yourself up and rest, then perhaps we can fight again."

Michael turns to leave, only to be stopped by Alit's voice behind him. Turning back, he's faced by a challenging stare, green eyes meeting his own, and Michael can't help but stare back.

"You're on, Prince. Next time we meet, you'll regret sparing me." Alit says pridefully, undeterred by the crowd screaming for his death and being faced by a prince who just spared him, and Michael immediately smirks back, intrigued by his confidence.

"We'll see."

---

"Hey, Michael! Michael!" Michael snaps back to reality, looking around to find himself in the ruins of an empty moonlit arena, Alit standing beside him and shaking his shoulder frantically.

"...Alit? What are you doing here?" Alit sighs in relief as Michael responds to him, clearly worried about his state.

"I came here because I thought you'd try to sneak here! Good thing too, I found you staring off into space!" Alit looks at Michael with concern, green eyes meeting green, and Michael smiles back to cover for his confusion on what just happened.

"Sorry about that. I think I just flashed back to my past life." It still feels weird saying that, but Michael supposes it's a fact of his life now.

"Oh? What happened?" Alit cocks his head, shuffling the bag on his back, and Michael thinks back to what he saw.

"You and the prince had a fight, and you'd lost. The prince chose to spare you though, saying you gave him a better fight with only your fists than anyone who brought a weapon." Michael recalls easily, the memory coming as easily as one of his own. Beside him, Alit laughs, clearly amused by the memory in question.

"That sounds like him, alright! He was so bored of opponents who didn't give him a good enough fight!" Alit lowers his bag to the ground, stooping down to open it and reveal-

"Alit, is that my D-Pad?" Michael catches a glimpse of the familiar silver gauntlet and green budlike pad, confused on why Alit brought them to the arena.

"Isn't it obvious?" Alit pulls the parts (and Michael's deck too) out of the bag, passing them over to Michael before materializing in his own Pad. "We're gonna duel here, just like our past lives did!"

"Wait, Alit!" Michael yelps, not prepared for this. "I still don't even know why the prince betrayed you like that! I thought you two were in love!"

"Oh, that?" Alit looks melancholic, thinking back to his death sentence and execution. "That was Don Thousand's influence. He spread rumours amongst the palace staff and got me framed up for conspiracy, then when that didn't make the prince turn on me, he resorted to possessing him directly."

"...That's awful." Michael recalls the feeling of something powerful- Don Thousand, clearly- controlling him in his nightmare of Alit's death sentence.

"That's what happened. I don't blame the prince, it wasn't his fault." Alit shakes his head, refixing his glare on Michael as he comes back to focus. "Now, let's duel! Right here and now!"

Michael hesitates, but not for long as the urge to fight kicks in. Quickly assembling his D-Pad, Michael lets his D-Gazer tattoo activate, a grin forming as he steps back to give space for the duel.

"Alright, let's duel!" The two stare each other down for barely a moment, then, in unison:

Vector had undergone his second treatment shortly after Yuuma and Shark had left the city.  As a result, he had spent the past few days bedridden and sick from the chemotherapy, but at last, he was feeling a bit better.  But he was sick of staying inside all day...he wanted to go out.  Takashi did have to work today, so he would go alone so he wouldn't bother him.  

“Hey, Takashi?  I'm going out for a short walk love.”  Vector said, getting dressed in men's attire with his black beanie.

Takashi looked up from his laptop and frowned. “Are you sure? Do you want me to come with you? I can put my work on pause again if you need to,” The man said, looking concerned.

Vector shook his head.

“No, you shouldn't put things on pause again.  You have to work...especially now that I can't anymore.”  Vector said firmly, before smiling and coming up to kiss Takashi on the cheek.

“I'll be fine...I won't be out too long.  I just want some fresh air.”  He said gently.

“… Right… But bring your phone. If there’s any problems, call me, okay?” He asked, looking at his partner and nodding.

“Sure thing.”  Vector said with a smile.  “Be back soon!”  

Vector headed out for a nice, leisurely stroll down the block.  He and Takashi did live in a newer neighborhood, but there were a few darker alleys where stray animals could be found.  Vector walked past one and heard a noise, pausing to see what it was. There was a small black cat digging through the trash, looking up with curious green eyes once it spotted Vector. Vector blinked at it once, before deciding he should head back.  It had been a little while, and he didn't want Takashi to worry.  

As he walked back towards the house, he heard a small meow behind him, which he initially ignored. But then, a second was heard, even closer than the first.  He spun around to spot the cat following him.  It sat on the sidewalk when he faced it.

“...I don't have any food for you.  Beat it.” Vector said, before continuing on his way.  But, a couple steps later, he heard another meow.  That damn cat was still following him!  Vector scowled.

“I said, get lost!” Vector yelled at it again, but still, it kept following.  Vector eventually made it home to find it waiting at the base of the steps for him. He frowned in confusion.  Should he throw something at it?  Then maybe it would get the message...

“Hey, Takashi, I'm home...” Vector called, opening the door part-way in case the cat decided to try and dart past him.  He ducked into the house, then looked out the peep hole immediately to see that the cat was still there, waiting.

Takashi looked up at the door and smiled. “That wasn’t very long. Have much fun?” The man said before looking back at his work, not seeing the kitten on the doorstep, looking straight at Vector.

Vector stared at the cat, before daring to glance back at Takashi.

“Sure it was fun...until the end when this little guy decided to stalk me for no apparent reason!” Vector said, pointing at the cat so Takashi would see it.

“Little… guy?” Takashi couldn’t see it from the living room but he got up and walked over to where Vector was. “Huh? A kitten?"

“Yeah!  That little guy!  I kept telling him to beat it, but he won't...hey, go away cat!”  Vector said with a frown.  The cat glanced at him and meowed softly.  

“See?  He won't listen!”  

“He likes you,” the man smiled, “Come on. Let’s have a look at him. Maybe he wants something you’re carrying or something.”

"Fine...but I don't know what he could possibly want. All I had on me was my phone." Vector said, approaching the cat slowly and kneeling down next to it.

"Well? What do you want?" He asked it. The cat got up and immediately approached Vector, nuzzling his hand and purring loudly as it did so. It meowed happily as Vector sighed and scratched it gently behind the ears.

"So you wanted to be pet huh? Weirdo."

“Awww… that’s cute. A kitten followed you home, it’s like a movie,” Takashi laughed. He knelt down to the kitten. “Well doesn’t look like he has an owner. We should see if someone lost the little fella."

Even Vector was starting to warm up a little to the cute little black kitten.  He smiled a bit.

“Maybe...or maybe whoever it was abandoned him.  Usually strays don't approach people like this...”  Vector murmured, watching the cat continue to nuzzle him and purr louder with every touch.  When Takashi knelt down, it paused, glancing at this new face before him, before resuming his nuzzling.  It moved so that Vector's hand was drifting over his back, letting Takashi pet his head instead.

“He seems to like us...so, I guess we can keep him for now...and make posters saying we found a lost kitten.”  Vector proposed.

“That’s true,” Takashi frowned, not really happy with the idea that the kitten was abandoned. However, the smile returned to his face and he stroked the kitten, giving a small smile.

“Yeah… Maybe I’ll do it after my work. We’ll need to get him food and water until then."

“Yeah...I guess so.  I can get him some water...”  Vector said, removing his hand from the kitten in favor of slowly picking it up gently.  The kitten didn't protest at all, meowing softly and cuddling against Vector's chest as he held him.  Vector smiled.

“Come on in, little guy.” He said softly, carrying the kitten in the house.  

“I’ll go get food after I send this report.” He smiled at Vector. “I didn’t know you were a cat person.”

Vector raised an eyebrow.

“I'm...not?  Or at least, I don't think I am.  I've never had a pet.  Have you?”  Vector asked, continuing to pet the purring kitten to keep it calm and happy.  The kitten was perfectly content in Vector's arms.

“No, my mother didn’t like them,” Takashi shrugged. “Unless you counted my neighbour’s kids. I always looked after them,” He chuckled.

Vector chuckled at that.

“I think the word for that isn't 'pets', it's 'pests'.”  He joked.

“Then I guess this is a first time thing for both of us.”  Vector said.  He brought the kitten into the kitchen, pulling out a small bowl and filled it up with tap water.  

“Here you go, kitty.” Vector said, putting the cat down on the floor with the bowl.  The cat happily lapped at the water, still purring as he drank.

“Hey, I like kids, you know,” Takashi muttered, though there was a smile still there. He went back to the couch to work as the kitten looked up at Vector and gave a small mewl.

Vector chuckled.  

“I know, I know.  I'm teasing you.”  Vector said, kissing Takashi's cheek before he went back to the living room. Vector glanced at the cat.

“If you're hungry, you'll have to wait, you know.”  Vector said to it, kneeling back down to pet it's fluffy head.

“I’ll be as quick as I can. Go look up pet care on the internet while you wait, okay?” Takashi asked as he worked even faster

“Okay!  I will!”  Vector called, giving the kitten another pet on the head before getting up and going to the bedroom, where he kept his laptop.  He lay in bed, doing some research and coughing as usual.  When he finally found what he was looking for, he emailed some of the sites and information to Takashi before yawning loudly.

“Geez...I guess a nap is in order.”  He said softly, shutting down his laptop and putting it off to the side.  He lay down, wrapped himself up in the covers, and drifted off to sleep.  As he slept, the kitten entered the room, meowing softly.  It spotted the bed, digging its feet into the carpet and leaping up with all its might.  It managed to get up on top of the covers, walking over to Vector's side.  It curled up next to him, purring loudly as it also drifted off.

Takashi got his work done and had a glance at the emails Vector sent him. He gave a smile to himself and quickly checked the local news website to see if there was any formal notice of a cat being missing. Making a note to walk around the area himself, Takashi went up to check on the kitten and Vector.

“Hey…” He started before he saw the napping duo. He gave a soft chuckle. “Awww..."

Vector was sleeping soundly, and the kitten was curled up against his side, stretched out and relaxed, purring softly still.

“Cuties…” Takashi took his phone out and took a picture before closing the door quietly. He sent Vector a text that said he was going out for the cat’s sake before he smiled. “Hope we can keep the little guy."

When Vector woke up, the kitten was still curled up next to him. He smiled at the kitten, stroking it's fur gently and watching it meow softly.

"Takashi?" He called softly, wondering if he was there.  When he received no answer, he frowned in confusion before he noticed his phone had a message.  He reached over to grab it, opening the text from Takashi.  It was sent about an hour ago...so maybe Takashi would be back soon. He started to type a reply that he was awake when a loud meow and shuffling was heard.  He frowned in confusion and turned back to see the kitten running around the bed, chasing a small dot of light that was being reflected off of Vector's cell phone.  The cat pounced on the small dot, only for it to move when Vector changed the angle of his phone.  Vector grinned and chuckled as he watched the kitten chase it around.  

“I guess I should say 'we're up' then...”  Vector mused, typing and sending his message before continuing to play with the kitten.

Takashi was back within another half an hour. He had cat food with him as well as some basics, as well as a newspaper.

“I’m home!"

“We're in the bedroom!” Vector called, laughing as he played with the cat.  He'd tied an eraser onto a string and was dangling it over the kitten, who was sprawled on its back and pawing at the eraser, meowing as it played.  

Takashi put the stuff on the table in the kitchen and headed inside the bedroom, a bit astounded to see Vector off his computer and playing with the cat. He smiled as he walked closer and sat on the bed.

“Having fun?” he chuckled.

Given the adorable kitten was so fun to play with, Vector's computer hadn't even crossed his mind. He was happy to be playing with the kitten.  

“Yeah...I think we are. This little guy is pretty full of energy...I've been playing with him since we woke up.”  Vector mused, watching the cat swat at the eraser that he dangled teasingly over its body.  

“Did you get stuff for him? He's bound to get hungry eventually.”

“He kinda reminds me of you… if you were a little fuzzball,” the man smiled. “I got the stuff. I’ll fill it up so he’s all ready to go before he gets bored."

Vector looked at his boyfriend in a mixture of confusion and amusement.  He snorted.

“What the heck do you mean by that?  I wouldn't chase a laser pointer like this guy would.”  Vector mused.  He nodded.

“I'll help.  He's kinda getting worn out already...”  Vector said, noticing how the kitten's swats were not as energized as they were before.  

“Dunno… You have done some crazy stuff on impulse,” Takashi teased, squeezing Vector’s knee affectionately.

“I got it. I found a nice box and a newspaper for him to sleep in, like a cubby house. We can put it in one of the open bookshelves so the little guy can hide and sleep there if he wants"

Vector snorted again, rolling his eyes.  He nuzzled Takashi when his knee was squeezed, smiling.  

“That sounds nice...would you like that, little guy?”  Vector asked, having stopped his playing.  The kitten meowed, rolling around until it was on its four paws again, coming up to the two men on the bed and nuzzling against Vector's legs.  

“I think he likes that idea.” Vector mused, petting his head.

“Alright, sure thing, I’ll get his food and water now… and make something for the two of us to eat too,” he mused.

Vector nodded, petting the cat and smiling.  

“Sure...I'll help. Come on, little guy.  Let's get you fed.”  Vector said, picking up the kitten again and following Takashi into the kitchen.

Takashi smiled. “You warmed up to him quickly,” he mused

Vector shrugged.

“I have a weakness for cuties that love me, remember?  Even if they were initially stalkers.”  Vector teased, kissing Takashi's cheek.

Takashi blushed. “Geeze. Sure sure."

Vector chuckled at Takashi's reaction, putting the kitten down and getting its food ready.  The cat seemed to realize what he was doing, and began meowing insistently, putting its front paws on Vector's leg as it tried to get closer to the food.

“Geez...be patient kitty! I'll give you the food, don't worry!” Vector said to it, chuckling a bit when his only response was a meow that he interpreted as either disbelief or impatience.

“Well he’s certainly a cheeky one,” Takashi mused. “Look at him, day one and he’s already bossing you around,” he laughed, filling up some water for the kitten.

Vector shook his head with a smile.

“He's a cute boss though. I think I can live with it.” Vector said, placing the bowl full of food next to the cat.  The kitten happily dug into its food, purring loudly as it ate.

“Now let’s go eat ourselves. How does something simple and traditional sound?” Takashi mused.

“Sure, fine by me.” Vector said, before pausing to cough a bit.  When he did, the cat looked up, meowing in something that resembled concern, rushing over and rubbing his cheeks against Vector's legs.  

“Cats really are responsive to people’s emotions,” Takashi said, a little surprised. “Are you sure you only just met this cat today?"

Vector calmed down from his coughing fit, staring at the cat in disbelief for a bit before looking up at Takashi.

“Yes, I'm sure...I certainly hadn't seen him before.  But...maybe he was watching me or something from the shadows.  I don't know...”  Vector mused, smiling a bit at the cat.  

“I'm okay, little guy. Don't worry.”  He reassured it, petting its head.  The cat meowed back, purring and giving Vector's hand a little nuzzle before deciding he was okay and heading back to his food.  

“Here. Get water and then try go sleep after we eat, alright? Did you take your meds?” Takashi asked as he headed to the kitchen.

“I did take them earlier...and I'm fine. I had a nap today.  I don't need to sleep anymore until night...” Vector said, accepting a cup of water from Takashi and drinking it down slowly.

“Still…” Takashi muttered, getting the things out. “I’m worried. You’re looking paler every day…”

“Maybe I'm just not getting enough sun....I'll be fine.”  Vector countered.  He had noticed that he was tired lately, but he was unsure if that was because of his treatment or the cancer.  

“Alright… We should sit outside more then, if anything,” Takashi muttered as he prepared the rice. “You still have to watch yourself.” He said, sounding like a concerned mother.

Vector sighed.

“Yes, mom.”  He shot back, not really liking how he was being babied.  

“I’m serious,” Takashi said, still sounding stern. “You’re on your computer all the time instead of resting. What are you even doing on there anyway?”

Vector frowned.

“Maybe if you would cut the tone, I'd tell you.”  He said, still not liking how Takashi was babying him.  

“And I am resting...sitting around on the computer is resting my body.”

“You wouldn’t tell me even if I was doing an opera on this,” Takashi said back. “Vector, seriously…” He frowned. “You are on heavy medication. You of all people should know that can tire you out."

Vector shrugged and nodded, knowing Takashi was right about that first part.  Though the idea of Takashi in an opera was hilarious.  He sighed softly.

“...I know.  I know it does...but I don't want to spend what little remains of my life sleeping.  I want to do something with it...that's why I'm on the computer.  That's why I don't want to rest.”  Vector said firmly but sadly.  

“… What are you doing?” Takashi asked, voice now soft and quiet.

“...Making something...that I might survive in one day.”  Vector said softly, frowning.

“It's just an idea...and I don't know if it'll work, but so far, it's coming along okay.”  Vector said.

“… I won’t press you… If it really means that much…”Takashi sighed. “Just please take care of yourself."

“...It means a lot, yeah...I don't want to give you details, because I don't want to get your hopes up in case I don't finish it.”  Vector said softly.  He nodded.

“I will, Takashi.  I will.”  He said, coming to hug him.

“...Thank you for being here for me...it helps.”  He said softly as he hugged him.

“… Alright…”Takashi continued preparing the meat. His hands were dirty, but he let Vector hug him from behind as he prepared dinner.

“Sorry if I seem overbearing at times… I love you."

Vector smiled a bit.  

“I know...I'm sorry I'm a dick about it.  I love you too.”  Vector said softly, kissing Takashi's cheek.  The cute moment was interrupted by a loud meow as the kitten propped itself up against Vector's leg, as if it demanded to be a part of the cuddle-fest. Vector chuckled.

“Aww...do you want a hug too? Do you?”  He cooed, bending over to pick up the kitten and cuddle him a bit. The kitten purred happily at that, though it was also curious as to what Takashi was doing.

“That meat isn't for you. You already had your supper.” Vector scolded the cat, petting its head and making it meow softly in content.  

“Hah… Already jealous, huh little guy?” Takashi laughed. “I’ll be done in fifteen minutes. Why don't you two play?”

Vector chuckled too.  

“Okay...come on, kitty. Let's go find you a ball of yarn or something.”  He said, heading out into the living room with the cat, waiting for supper to be ready.

-x-

Yuuma and Shark had enjoyed their little 'vacation' in Neo Domino city.  They'd spent most of it resting, for Yuuma's sake, so that his legs would heal. Shark had made sure to apply Mikage's cream to them every day, so that his legs looked and functioned a lot better than before.  Yuuma was relieved, now able to walk at least with minimal pain.  

“Shark, look, I can jump again!”  Yuuma cheered, hopping around a little bit in their motel room.  He had missed being able to move!

“Oy… That’s good to hear, but careful. What will you do if you break both your legs?” Shark yelled back at him, though he seemed more amused than anything. He was glad Yuuma was recovering.

“I won't!”  Yuuma said back, though he stopped hopping around. He grinned at Shark.

“Now we can do some more fun stuff outside the motel, right?”  He said happily.

“I guess so,” Shark shrugged. “What’s the gay agenda today then?”

Yuuma frowned as he thought of something to do.

“I don't know...I don't know what there is to do here!”  Yuuma exclaimed.

“I guess so. Whatever works. Let’s get done what you want before we need to go home."

Yuuma nodded.

“We can drive around and maybe we'll see something cool!”  Yuuma said, getting ready to leave, when they heard Shark's cell phone ringing.  Someone was calling them.  

“Fair eno-“ Shark started before he heard his phone too. The man sighed and checked the id before picking it up. “Hello?”

“Heeeeey Sharkie-poo~ My uncle told me to check up on you and Sharkbait!  How're his legs doing?”  Vector's voice came from the other end.  

“… He’s better, you shit,” the man muttered, rolling his eyes. “That spa lady’s cream is like miracles in a jar. He’s jumping around as normal."

“Ah, so you did see Mikage! Good!  I figured she'd have something to help you guys out!”  Vector said with a smirk.  

“Well, good for him! But, unfortunately, that means that uncle wants you both back.  He's going to be short-handed this week, and the police keep bugging him, asking when you two will be home.  As long as Yuuma's healed enough to convince them he didn't do it, and you've got your alibi, you'll both be fine to come home!”  

“Alright… fair enough… I’ll tell Yuuma we’re heading back then. Later."

“See ya later.”  Vector said, hanging up as Shark did.  Yuuma blinked, having heard Shark's side of the conversation.

“We have to go back home?” He asked, pouting a bit.  Just as he could move around, they had to leave!

“Well it’s just a short vacation. And a pretend two weeks off is a bit much for us to. We can spend half a day here but we should head back."

Yuuma nodded, seeming satisfied by that.

“Okay!  Sounds good!  We can pack up, and drive around looking for something to do.”  Yuuma suggested happily.

“Okay… Let’s get out of this motel and spend today together then."

“Okay!”  Yuuma said happily, hugging Shark.

“We'll have one last day of fun on our fake vacation!”  Yuuma said, kissing Shark's cheek before pulling away and grinning.

“Let's pack our stuff, come on!”  He said. Once they'd packed things up, they loaded the car and spent the first half of the day driving around Neo Domino and exploring.  Yuuma had been very happy the entire time, which had made the end of the day even harder to grasp.

“We'll have to come back here someday, Shark.  It's really fun...maybe I can ask Vector what places are cool to see next time!  He grew up here, so he probably knows better than we do!”  Yuuma suggested as they drove back in the direction of the border between Neo Domino and Heartland City.  Their vacation was officially over.

“Did you have fun, Shark?”

Shark nodded, following around and playing to Yuuma’s whims. He did smile and laugh, enjoying the outing like it was a first date.

“Yeah… I guess so,” Shark agreed, driving down the highway. He smirked. “Well… It was kinda awful when we were hiding out and you could barely move at first… But I suppose the end was nice."

“That's even more reason to come back!  Next time, I won't be hurt and coming here will be for real!”  Yuuma said happily.  He sighed.

“It sucked being hurt...but it was worth it.  I wonder how Astral's doing...I hope he's okay...and I hope the police believe me when I say I didn't do it...”  Yuuma said with a sigh.  

“Well… As long as we keep the story straight, it’ll be fine. Astral is safe right now and we’ll be free too if we play our cards right. Relax, Yuuma. Everything will be okay."

Yuuma nodded firmly with a serious face.

“Right!  I can handle anything they ask me!  Then we can move on.”  Yuuma said.  He was quiet as they approached the border, waiting for them to get cleared.

“…” Shark looked up at the men who just checked their car and their ID. Unsurprisingly, it went without a hitch, and soon the two men were heading back into the city.

Yuuma grinned once they were back in the city.

“I wonder if anyone missed us while we were gone...it wasn't long, thankfully, but it was sudden.” Yuuma noted.  He hadn't told his friends or his sister that he had left, so he wasn't sure if anyone had particularly missed him.

“You’re quite popular. You should talk to your sister when you get the chance. See if she did. I texted Rio over our break, so she doesn’t even know we left."

“Yeah!  I'll definitely talk to her...she's usually busy with her job, so I doubt she really missed me.”  Yuuma said with a grin.  

“I wonder about Kotori and the others though.  They don't always visit, but maybe they noticed we were gone.”  Yuuma said.

“Yeah… did you get any calls?” He asked

Yuuma checked his phone and winced.

“Looks like my sister called...I wonder what she wanted.  I hope it wasn't anything serious.  Oh, and that reminds me...I have to find her a new birthday present, cause you traded that dress away for the van!”  Yuuma said.

“Oh yeah… We’ll need to drop this off at Judai’s house before the cops visit us,” Shark said. “Sorry. We just needed the van really fast.”

“It's fine...I guess if you hadn't traded it away, we wouldn't have had a getaway car.  Yeah, we should!”  Yuuma agreed.  

“I hope the cops aren't waiting for us...that would mean they really suspect us.”

“Ugh… They’ll probably see us purely because you’re listed as the emergency contact for ‘Hope’. Don’t worry. If they’re there, keep your head on."

Yuuma nodded.

“I will, don't worry...”  He said with a sigh.  They were almost in the city, so Yuuma took out the receipts that Mikage gave him, going over his alibi and making sure he had the story straight in case the cops were waiting for him at home.

First stop was Judai’s place. Judai was fortunately outside his shop, cleaning the windows of the bar since it was day.

“Oy! Judai! Car delivery!”

Judai glanced over when he heard his name, grinning when he spotted Shark and Yuuma.

“Hey!  You're back!”  Judai said, heading over to the car.  

“I'll hop in and you can drive it to your place!  Yusei checked it earlier, and there's no cops around, so I'll just drop you two off and head back.”  Judai suggested.  Yuuma nodded.

“Sounds fine by me.”  

“Thanks man, I’d appreciate it.” Shark said, getting out for Judai.

“No problem!  You guys can tell me all about your vacation on the way!”  Judai said with a grin, hopping in the driver's seat and driving towards Shark and Yuuma's apartment.  Yuuma kept up most of the conversation, since he was a natural chatterbox, and it wasn't long until they arrived.  Yuuma and Shark unloaded their stuff and bid Judai goodbye.

“It's so nice to be home~” Yuuma said happily, entering their home.

Shark thanked Judai and watched the man drive off, having some other business. Smiling,Shark entered their home and stretched.

“Man, I didn’t even realise we needed a vacation. That was good.”

“Yeah!  No kidding right!”  Yuuma said with a grin.  He was glad that he'd been able to go with Shark, even if he'd been injured half the time. He and Shark began to unpack their stuff, settling back into their home properly when suddenly the doorbell rang.

“Heartland City Police!” Came the call through the door.  

“Oh god…” Shark muttered, frowning. “Right on cue too. Let’s move already…” Shark scratched the back of his head and opened the door. “Hello?"

Yuuma bit his lip and took a breath to relax.  This would be okay.  

Ukyou stood outside the door with Droite.  They had been doing their daily rounds when they'd noticed the lights were on and there had been movement inside the house.  

“Ah, you're here. Good...we were hoping to ask you two some questions about the recent prison escape of Hope Ray.”  Ukyou said to Shark.  

“Huh? Hope has escaped?” Shark asked, feigning surprised. “How? When? Why didn’t you call us?”

“Shark, they probably couldn't call while we were gone!  What happened?”  Yuuma asked, catching on to what Shark was doing.  He approached to hear better.  Ukyou sighed.

“There was a prison break...we came to discuss it, actually.  Neither of you knew anything about this before?”  Droite asked.

“What? No. We went out to Neo Domino City for a vacation about two weeks ago. What do you mean Hope is gone?” Shark scowled, crossing his arms. “Yuuma is Hope’s guardian! Not even a voice mail for us?”

“We tried contacting you, and I apologize for the late notice.  Now that you're back, we can talk.”  Ukyou said.  Yuuma put an arm on Shark's bicep as if to calm him.  He wore a worried expression.

“...Is he okay?  What happened, Ukyou-san?”  He asked, sounding truly concerned.

“We believe he was taken out of prison in a group effort...there was one masked assailant, which frankly, reminds me of you, Yuuma, while you were stealing jewels.” Yuuma's eyes widened a bit at that, but he didn't say anything because Ukyou continued.

“We also know there was a hacker who was responsible for disabling the security footage of the event. The only accounts we have are of eyewitness descriptions of the assailant.”  Ukyou said.  Droite was looking at Yuuma especially, noting his movements.  He didn't seem to be in pain...then again, if he had done it, he would have had time to heal.

Shark took a deep breath and he looked at the two officers quietly. There was a long pause before he glared at Droite, wanting to tell her to piss off.

“Well we don’t know shit about computers, so we can’t help you.” Shark said, staring at Droite. “We had no involvement in this.”

Droite frowned, ignoring Shark's glare and glancing at Yuuma with a serious expression.

“Where were you the night of the breakout, Yuuma?”  She asked. Yuuma blinked.

“We were out of town...I think that night was the one where we went out to supper and saw that movie, right Shark?”  Yuuma said.

“Yeah, we have the receipts and everything for our balancing out our finances. They should be in my wallet, or Yuuma’s.” Shark said

“I'll go find them.” Yuuma said, hurrying to get his wallet. Droite and Ukyou watched his movements, once again noting that Yuuma wasn't walking unusually.  Yuuma brought the receipts once he found them.  

“Here you go...the movie and dinner receipts.”  Yuuma said.

“Yeah… and that’s a shitty restaurant only found in a shitty part of Neo Domino. If you’re thinking ‘Cat-chan’ broke Hope out, he didn’t.”

Ukyou looked at the receipt.

“Alright...thank you. Well, I have a couple questions for you. Do you have any idea of anyone who may be interested in breaking Hope out of prison?  Or where he might go to hide?”  Ukyou asked.  Yuuma shook his head.

“I don't know...Hope had no family besides us...and no friends either.”  Yuuma murmured.

“It’s sad, but true. Hope is really a lonely guy. Save for Blind-man Kaito, I don’t know anyone else he’s in contact with,” Shark said, feeling alright to throw the ball to Kaito since the man truly had nothing to do with the breakout.

Ukyou nodded.  He knew that already from their investigation.  

“Kaito does not know anything about the breakout.  We have already spoken to him.”  Ukyou said. Yuuma's eyes widened in slight fear.

“Does that mean...that Hope was taken out against his will?  Does someone bad have him then?”  He asked in worry.  Ukyou sighed.

“We don't know, Yuuma. We don't think it was a forced breakout...witnesses said Hope seemed to go with the person willingly.  He either knew them, or decided to trust them regardless.”  Ukyou said.

“Or he could have been threatened,” Shark frowned. “Threatened to come quietly…” He held Yuuma’s hand. “…”

Yuuma squeezed Shark's offered hand.  Ukyou nodded.

“We're not sure which one it was at this point.  We're still looking into it...we'll let you know if there's any updates.”  Ukyou offered.  Yuuma nodded.

“Please do...we're worried about him.  He's our brother really...”  

“Yeah… Thanks officers. Let us know if we can help.” Shark said, nodding to him. Droite stared at them both before she sighed, looking at Ukyou for orders

“Sure thing.  Thank you for speaking with us, Yuuma and Shark. We'll be on our way.”  Ukyou said, motioning for Droite to follow him out. They headed back to the cars.  

“We'll look into their alibi once we get back to the station.”  Ukyou said.  Droite frowned.

“Tsukumo Yuuma wasn't walking funny at all...but if he did do it, his injuries have had a chance to heal.” Droite said.  Ukyou nodded.  

“Indeed...if their alibi doesn't check out, we can pursue the matter further.  Even if they're healed, he may still have scars.  We could get a warrant to search him if necessary.” Ukyou said.

Once the officers were gone, Yuuma let out a sigh of relief.

“I think they bought it Shark...we're off the hook.”  

“Yes… sounds appropriate, Droite scowled. When the officers had pulled out of the parking out, Shark gave a relieved sigh.

“… I guess so”

Yuuma beamed.  

“We're all clear! That's great!”  Yuuma said in excitement.  Suddenly his phone rang and he frowned, noting the caller ID.

“It's Nee-chan!”  He exclaimed, picking up.

“Hey, Nee-chan!  What's up?”  

“Hey Yuuma.” Akari grinned as she finally got hold of her brother. “So… My birthday is coming up. You both coming to dinner on Saturday?”

Yuuma grinned too.

“Of course we are!  I haven't forgotten.  I have to get a present for you still, but I'll have it by then!”  Yuuma said happily.

“Oh good, you haven’t got me a present. Are you busy right now then?” Akari smirked

“Ah, no not at the moment! What're you thinking, Nee-chan?” Yuuma asked.

“Meet me at my house. I want to go shopping."

“Shopping?  You're gonna pick a present?  Okay!  Great!” Yuuma said happily.  That certainly solved things!  

“Should I come over right away?”  

“Yeah, come over, Yuuma."

“Okay Nee-chan!  I'll come over soon!  See ya!”  He said, hanging up.  

“Hey, Shark, Nee-chan wants to go shopping with me for her birthday.  I'm going over to her house to meet her!  I'll be back later!”  Yuuma said with a grin, kissing Shark's cheek goodbye quickly before heading out.  

“What? Seriously? Well… I guess she didn’t notice we left so… yeah.” Shark yawned. “See ya.” He said, going to go and lie down and nap after a long journey home.

"I guess not! I'll find out today!" Yuuma said with a grin. He got his wallet and headed out to catch the bus to his sisters house.

Once he arrived, he rang the bell with a grin.

"Nee-chan, I'm here!" He called.

Akari smiled as she opened the door, surprisingly looking more cheery than usual. She took his hand, looking ready to go. “Hey Yuma! Let’s go!”

Yuuma beamed as he saw his happy sister.  It was nice to see her in such a good mood!  Maybe it was because she was off today?  

“Okay!  Lead the way, Nee-chan!”  Yuuma said happily, following his sister to the car.

Akari got in, looking at Yuuma expectantly before she drove off towards the store. “So… How ya been, Yuuma?” Akari said, somehow cheery enough to seem like Yuuma on most days.

Yuuma got in and grinned as they drove.

"I've been doing great...Shark and I just got back from a surprise vacation in Neo Domino! It was tons of fun!" Yuuma said happily.

“Aw, that must have been nice. Shark’s idea, I take?” The woman asked, humming cheerily as she drove.

"Yep! It was his idea! And it was really nice. We'll have to go back there some other time." Yuuma said with a grin.

"You're really happy today Nee-chan! Are things going well with you and Charlie?"

“Hmmm? Well, you could say that,” Akari smirked. “I’ll tell you when we get to the shop. It’s kind of exciting.”

"Oooh? Okay! Sounds good!" Yuuma said with a grin. Moments later they pulled into the Heartland Shopping Mall. Yuuma got out of the car once his sister had parked.

"Where to, Nee-chan?"

Akari just smirked and led Yuuma inside the shopping centre. “Well… I went to the doctor’s yesterday, and I got some exciting news… You’ll never guess what it is."

Yuuma blinked, following his sister inside.  

“News?  Um...gee, I don't know...did he tell you you're not sick?” He asked, not sure why else anyone would possibly go to the doctor.

Akari rolled her eyes and ruffled her taller, younger brother’s hair. “You’re so dumb, sometimes. I’m having a baby, dummy.”

Yuuma pouted as his hair was ruffled.  

“Nee-chan, I'm not dumb-” He started, before the second half of her statement hit him.  He blinked in astonishment.

“Wait...you're pregnant? Really Nee-chan?”  Yuuma asked in amazement.

“Yep.” Akari smirked “You’re gonna help me get baby clothes."

Yuuma's eyes widened and he grinned, quickly hugging his sister.

“I'm so happy for you, Nee-chan!  This is great!  Let's go pick out some cute ones!”  He said happily.

Akari smiled and went off with her brother, ready to drag him through shopping hell.

Yuuma and Akari shopped for a few hours and bought quite a few cute baby clothes for Akari's baby. Yuuma came home excited, bursting into the apartment and rushing into the bedroom. He practically jumped on a sleeping Shark to wake him up.

"Shark! Wake up! I'm gonna be an uncle! You are too!" He exclaimed excitedly.

Shark nearly punched Yuuma in the face. Yuuma was not light in any such way and it nearly broke Shark’s ribs. The man spluttered as he was awoken and blinked hazily at Yuuma.

“What?”

Yuuma yelped a bit when Shark nearly punched him, but easily rolled to the side to avoid it. He still clung to Shark excitedly.

"Nee-chan's pregnant Shark! I'm gonna be an uncle! And you too cause we're gonna get married and all!" Yuuma said happily.

“Huh? Oh yeah… Damn… I’ll have to say congrats at some point…” Shark groaned. “God, were you both so excited?”

“Yes!  It's super exciting Shark!”  Yuuma said with a huge grin.  He hugged Shark and grinned.

“I'm gonna have the cutest niece or nephew ever!  It's gonna be great!”  Yuuma exclaimed.

Shark groaned as he felt the heavier man on top of him and playfully tried to shove him off.

“You’d think you were the pregnant one with that attitude."

Yuuma pouted, nuzzling closer to Shark as the other playfully tried to push him off.  

“I'm just super happy for Nee-chan!  You probably would be too if Shark's Sis called and said she was pregnant!”  Yuuma said.

“… No I wouldn’t. I’d castrate the bastard… At least your sister is married,” Shark muttered under his breath.

Yuuma chuckled.  He doubted Shark would really do that, unless Rio told him she didn't want the baby and the guy had hurt her somehow.  

“Don't worry Shark. For now, we can just be happy for Nee-chan and Charlie!  I bought them some cute baby clothes for Nee-chan's birthday!”  Yuuma said.

Shark was pretty sure he would.

“That’s nice… And we don’t have to look for a present. Score.”

“Exactly!  So we can just do whatever until Saturday when we go over to her place for her birthday supper!”  Yuuma said happily, cuddling up next to Shark.

“All that shopping made me tired though...can we snuggle?”  He asked, giving Shark his best puppy eyes.

“Oh yeah, I forgot about that,” Shark said, frowning. “Eh… It won’t be so bad. Charlie always has a good story to tell.”

Shark rolled his eyes. “I just woke up and you want to sleep, moron.” Shark put his arm around Yuuma. “… Don’t need to ask, you know."

Yuuma grinned.

“Yeah...I can't wait to hear what he's been up to this time...”  Yuuma said, smiling as Shark put his arm around him.  

“I know...I love you.” Yuuma said, cuddling close to Shark.

“I love you more.” Shark murmured, closing his eyes.

-x-

Haruto approached his older brother, who was thankfully feeling better it seemed.  He smiled.

“Nii-san...can I go visit Ms. Varian?  I haven't seen her in awhile.”  He asked.

Kaito looked over to Haruto and gave a small smile. It had felt like forever since he talked to Yami, but he knew that somehow Astral was safe. That made him a little cheerier, and yet more anxious at the same time.

“Alright… Be sure to not be too long. She probably needs her rest,” Kaito said. “Chris will be home early so we can discuss some things and go out, but if I’m not home, Orbital and Obomi will take care of you, okay?"

Haruto grinned.

“Great!  Thanks, Nii-san!”  He said, hugging his big brother quickly before rushing to the door. He opened it to spot Ponta on the step on his way up.  He blinked before grinning.

“Surprise, pon!  I came to visit Haruto!  Where you going, pon?”  Ponta said with a grin.    

“Oh, hey Ponta,” Haruto smiled, slowly coming down and patting his friend. “I’m gonna see my old tutor. You wanna come with me?"

Ponta beamed as Haruto came to greet him.

“Okay, pon!  Sure!  I'll come too!”  He said happily, grabbing his skateboard to follow Haruto.

Haruto smiled softly. “How are you, Ponta?” He asked as they walked.

"I'm good, pon! I've been taking good care of Kotori and my little sibling pon! And Alit is home today so he said I could go see you!" Ponta said happily.

"How is Haruto and Kaito-san“OH! I forgot Kotori-san was having a baby.” Haruto chuckled. “I’m okay, and Nii-san is seeming better. Chris is coming home more to take care of him. It’s good for Nii-san!"

"Yep she is pon! We all help look after her and the baby!" Ponta said happily. He nodded.

"That's good! I'm glad Kaito-san is feeling better pon!" He replied, glancing around.

"How far do we have to go, pon? Do we have to bus?"

“Yeah, we do. But it’s okay. I have money for you and my bus pass, luckily,” Haruto smiled. “Nii-san always tells me to be prepared!"

“That's smart, pon! Thanks!”  Ponta said happily.  They hopped on the bus and rode it towards Takashi and Vector's house.

Haruto smiled, feeling good by Ponta’s side.  “… Ngh…”

Ponta looked at Haruto, smiling at him.

“Are you okay, pon?”  

Haruto held his side and gave a small groan. He shook his head and forced a smile. “I’m not feeling well… That’s all…"

Ponta quickly held Haruto close, remembering that last time he wasn't feeling well he collapsed.  He wasn't about to let that happen.

“Should I call Kaito-san, pon?  Are you gonna be okay?”  He asked in worry.

“N-no… If you call Nii-san, I’ll never be let out of the house. I’m fine. I just wanna see Ms. Varian and then I’ll rest…” Haruto sighed.

“...Okay, pon...how far away are we from there?”  He asked, looking out the window of the bus.  He had no idea where they were going so he didn't know where to stop.

“Almost… Actually the next stop is ours.” Haruto smiles.

"Okay pon!" Ponta said, pulling the stop chord and helping Haruto off the bus once it had stopped.

"Where to now, pon?"

“It’s a short walk,” Haruto said, leading the way. “You have to be quiet when you see Ms. Varian, she’s not well so she looks a bit not herself."

Ponta nodded with a serious face, zipping his lip.

"I'll be quiet pon! I can't wait to meet your tutor!" He said happily.

“Thank you, Ponta! You’re the best!” Haruto said, squeezing his best friend’s hand before ringing the doorbell.

Ponta squeezed Haruto's hand back and waited at the door.

Vector was on the computer on the couch, relaxing. The kitten, which Vector had named "Umbral" was resting on his lap, snoozing in content.

"Takashi, can you get the door?"

Takashi smiled and nodded. “Alright, sure thing.” He did just that and he smiled when he saw Ponta and Haruto. “Hello there, Haruto. Are you here to see Ms. Varian?”

“Yes I am, Todoroki-san.”

Ponta grinned.

"Hi Todoroki-san, pon! I came to meet her too!" He said, coming inside with Haruto.

Vector looked up when he heard Haruto's voice.

"Haruto, is that you? Come on in!" He called, smiling in anticipation.

“Your name is Ponta, right? Haruto talks about you,” Takashi said, letting the two kids in when they were given permission to.

“Hi Miss Varian~” Haruto grinned.

"Yes pon! Haruto tells me a lot about you and Ms Varian too!" Ponta said happily, following Haruto inside.

Vector smiled at Haruto as he saw him come in.

"Hey Haruto...oh and you brought a friend!" Vector noted. Ponta was momentarily confused why "Ms Varian" was clearly a man, but then his eyes rested on the black kitten in his lap. Immediately he was on edge for reasons he couldn't explain.

“Yep. Ms Varian, this is Ponta.” Haruto smiled. Takashi raised an eyebrow as Ponta stiffened and Haruto turned. “Ponta? Are you okay?” Haruto frowned, looking at his best friend.

“Are you afraid of cats?"

Vector smiled.

“Nice to meet you, Ponta.” He said, before he noticed that Ponta was looking at Umbral with a weird expression.  

“This is Umbral...he's a stray kitten that followed me home one day.  Takashi and I decided to keep him, since nobody's come to claim him.” Vector said.  Ponta managed to tear his eyes away from Umbral to look at Haruto.  

“...They used to bite me a lot...I don't like them...”  He said softly.  Vector smiled.  

“Umbral's really friendly. He won't hurt you.”  Ponta still looked unsure.

“Bite you?” Haruto frowned, looking at his friend. He put a caring hand on his shoulder and Takashi smiled.

“It’s okay if you don’t wanna go near him. Do you want me to take him out of the room? We can stay in the kitchen."

“It was a long time ago...” Ponta murmured.  Ponta shook his head.

“As long as he's sleeping it's okay...”  He said. Umbral was still snoozing in Vector's lap.  Vector smiled and stroked him.

“Just let us know, okay?” Vector offered with a smile.  

Haruto made a note to ask him later. He petted Ponta’s shoulder and Takashi nodded, sitting down next to Vector.

“We’re just here to say hi and all, Ms. Varian. I haven’t seen you in a while."

Ponta smiled as Haruto pet him.  Vector smiled.

“That was nice of you...how have you been, Haruto?  It's nice to meet your friend too.  Haruto's told me a lot about you, Ponta.”  Vector said.  Ponta smiled.

“Haruto told me lots about you too, pon!  He said you're the best teacher ever!”  Vector chuckled.

“I'm flattered.”  

“I’m getting better, slowly.” Haruto smiled. “And she is. Best teacher… But I don’t say it too often, you know,” Haruto mumbled, blushing a little.

Vector smiled.

“I'm glad...I'm getting better too really.”  He said happily.  He smiled a bit wider as Haruto blushed and looked shy.

“You're so sweet, Haruto. I'll hopefully be able to tutor you a little once I get through my treatments.”  Vector said.  Umbral stirred, meowing slightly as he woke up, turning Vector's attention to him.

“Good afternoon, Umbral.” He said, gently scratching the cat's ears.  The cat glanced around and spotted Haruto and Ponta.  It purred and simply stared at them.  Ponta stared back at him, waiting in fear for something to happen.  Umbral didn't move otherwise.

“I really hope you get better soon, Ms Varian” Haruto said honestly. He looked down at the cat and then at his friend.

Vector smiled and nodded.

“I hope so too.  I'm resting a lot, so hopefully things will turn out alright.”  He said, glancing at Ponta and Haruto, then at Umbral.

“...I don't think he'll hurt you, Ponta...don't be afraid.”  Vector said.  Ponta nodded.

“...They only bit when I came close...otherwise, they hissed.”  He said, clearly debating whether or not this cat could be approached. He looked hesitant to proceed, but also like he half-way wanted to pet him.

“It’ll be fine as long as you’re gentle,” Takashi smiled.  

Ponta nodded, still glancing between the cat and Haruto.  

“...Will you...come up with me?  To pet it, pon?”  He asked. The other times he'd met cats were on the streets, and then, he was alone.  Nobody could pry the cats away from him...nobody else had been there to calm him or treat his bites and scratches.  

“I’m right here, it’s not like I’m gonna leave you,” Haruto smiled.

Ponta nodded, smiling a bit at Haruto's reassurance.  

“Okay pon...”  He said, slowly going towards the cat in Vector's lap. He reached out a hand nervously to pet the cat.  He froze for a moment when the cat looked at him, but Umbral merely meowed softly, stretching his neck so that his head brushed against Ponta's outstretched hand. Ponta's eyes widened, noticing how the cat nuzzled him and purred.

“See?  He's friendly...”  Vector said.  Ponta slowly smiled.

“...He likes me, pon!” He said happily.

Haruto smiled, “Told you, Ponta,” Haruto chuckled. Takashi looked on affectionately and gave a small laugh of his own.

“First cats, now children. You’re just full of surprises, huh, Ena?"

Ponta grinned at Haruto before returning his attention to the cat, petting Umbral gently.  Vector sighed.

“I guess so, Takashi.” Vector said with a chuckle.  

Haruto noticed that sigh and looked at his teacher. “Are you okay? Are you still tired?”

“I guess I am a little tired...I'm okay though.  Don't worry.” Vector said with a small smile. Ponta was too enthralled by Umbral to notice, petting him more vigorously now that he had determined the cat would not bite him.  Umbral was purring loudly in content at all the attention.

Takashi frowned at Vector, knowing the man hadn’t sleeping much due to being on the computer almost all the time. Haruto gave a similar look and nodded, “Okay… but tell us if you want us to go."

“It's fine, Haruto. I'll be okay!  I like having company.”  He said happily.

“How is your brother doing? Better, I hope.”  Vector said, remembering how Kaito had sounded on the phone.

Haruto gave a smile. “Nii-san will get better, I know he is. Chris and I just have to work on it..."

“I'm glad...you do your best, okay?”  Vector said with a smile.  Suddenly Ponta jumped up a bit as Umbral meowed and rolled around onto his back to playfully swat at Ponta's fingers.  

“What's he doing, pon?” Ponta asked, not sure why this cat wasn't using his claws.  Vector chuckled.

“He wants to play...here. Dangle this over him.”  Vector said, grabbing a shoelace with an eraser tied on the end for Umbral to swat at.  Ponta took it and smiled, laughing a bit as Umbral meowed and swatted at the eraser playfully.  

“Look, Haruto!  He likes it, pon!”

Haruto gave a laugh. “Yeah he does, Ponta.” Takashi smiled as the boys played and got up to go get Vector’s medicine. He was glad that Vector was at least relaxing in that regard, but he still had to take care of himself.

Vector smiled happily as the boys played with Umbral, the kitten more than happy to play with two happy boys.  He glanced up when Takashi arrived with his medication, smiling at him.

“Thanks love.”  He said softly, taking the medication.

Takashi rolled his eyes. “You should be caring for yourself better, you know.”

“I suppose you're right...” Vector cooed a bit playfully, pulling Takashi down onto the couch next to him for a small snuggle.  

“So stay here and make sure I rest ~”  He whispered softly, kissing his cheek while the kids weren't paying attention.  They were too occupied with Umbral, who was meowing and thrashing playfully.  Ponta laughed.

Takashi felt his heart leap to his throat and his face went red as the two boys played with the cat. Neither of them noticed Takashi’s face, which was lucky, otherwise the man would have been more embarrassed.

“Isn’t that what I’m doing?” He murmured, bashfully.

“Yes...but there are a few others ways you could make me rest...I'll show you after the kids go home...” Vector whispered seductively.  

“…” Takashi didn’t dare to answer to that. He just rolled his eyes and looked at Umbral, as if pretending that the kitten needed to be watched would save him from any of Vector’s antics.

Vector chuckled a bit, smiling at the children.  Ponta really liked Umbral, glad that a cat seemed to finally like him.  They played for a long time, when suddenly Ponta's phone rang.  He blinked and picked up.

“Hello pon?  Yeah...oh, okay Alit!  I'll come home!”  He said, hanging up.  

“Sorry Haruto pon...I have to go home now!  We can play more tomorrow maybe?”

“Yeah, of course we can. Maybe next time we can play with Ms Varian some more…” Haruto smiled. “Sorry we have to go, Ms Varian.”

Vector smiled at the boys.

“That's alright boys. There's always next time.”  He said with a smile.  He chuckled at the cat, noticing how tired out Umbral seemed.

“Umbral would definitely love to see you two again, I'm sure.”  He noted.  Ponta grinned.

“I like your kitty! He's nice, pon!  I'll come back and play with him!  Come on, Haruto, pon!  Let's go.”  He promised.

“Night Ms. Varian. Night Todoroki-san~” Haruto waved, getting up and leading his best friend out. He was so happy his best friend and his tutor (and her cat) had gotten off together so nicely.

“See you,” Takashi said getting up and closing the door behind them.  

Vector followed Takashi to the door slowly, making sure the kids were gone before hugging Takashi gently from behind.  He nibbled his ear gently.

“...Will you come snuggle with me~?”  He cooed seductively, holding Takashi close.

Takashi shut the door and shuddered as he felt Vector against his body. He moaned softly but he tried to stuff the feeling down, feeling warm.

“If you promise you’ll rest…"

Vector grinned as he heard Taksahi's poorly stifled moan.  He had missed being intimate with Takashi...he was determined to take advantage of this opportunity.

“Of course...you'll have to tire me out~”  Vector cooed, nuzzling Takashi, before turning him around so he could kiss him firmly, trying to turn him on further.

Takashi gave a small moan and let himself be moved to be kissed. He didn’t mind this. He ran his fingers through Vector’s short, fuzzy hair and felt his cold, pale skin, kissing him tenderly. “I love you..."

Vector sighed softly into the kiss, very happy that Takashi was willing to do this.  He kissed him back, gently stroking Takashi's hairline on the back of his neck, keeping their mouths melded together with one hand. His second hand was already trying to push Takashi's shirt up.  He was eager, determined even, to have as much sex as possible while still on anti-cancer medications that had the side effects of diminished sex drive.  Vector wanted to fight it on that point.  

“I love you too...”  He said softly in reply, once he finally had to pull away to breathe.  He wasn't able to kiss Takashi for as long as he wanted, which was a glaring reminder to him that he could no longer hold his breath as long.

“Come on...let's take this to the bedroom...”  He cooed.

Takashi would have thought Vector’s reasoning was ridiculous if he had been told, but he wasn’t complaining. Any time he had with Vector… any time he had left with him, he wanted to cherish. He looked at his partner when they parted and he stroked the other’s face, smiling softly at him, eyes filled with understanding.

“Alright…” He offered his arm to support Vector. “We’ll do what you want this afternoon."

Vector smiled as Takashi pet his cheek, his grin becoming even wider as Takashi agreed.  

“Thank you...”  Vector said, taking Takashi's hand and bringing him as quickly as he could into the bedroom.  He wanted to start as soon as possible.  He quickly kicked off his slippers and socks and climbed into bed, waiting as patiently as he could for Takashi to join him so they could make out and turn each other on more.

Takashi gave a small smile and laughed at Vector’s eagerness. He slipped his shirt off before crawling into bed after Vector, looming over him so he could kiss his lips and then the other man’s neck.

Vector chuckled too, stripping his shirt off really quickly too, since he knew Takashi had issues removing shirts with one hand, and lay back, letting Takashi straddle and kiss him. He figured Takashi would be happier that way, since it would mean minimal physical exertion for Vector.  He moaned softly as he was kissed on the lips and neck, trying to roll his hips gently to stimulate himself and Takashi.

Takashi smiled and rolled his hips back  against him. He stroked his hair, moaning softly. “Mmmm… Vector.."

Vector moaned and kissed Takashi, really starting to get into it, when suddenly he felt a sudden weight land on his arm.  Something that was clearly not Takashi, because the man's hands were occupied in his hair and stablizing himself overtop of him.  Vector let out a small shriek of surprise, jerking his head away from Takashi's lips to see what was there, coming face to face with Umbral. The kitten was nuzzling against his arm and climbing onto his chest, purposely squeezing between the two men, oblivious to what they were doing.  Umbral only wanted cuddles with his master. Vector had to pause and catch his breath after nearly having a panic attack.

“...I forgot about you...god you scared me...”  Vector finally said to the cat, who meowed and nuzzled his face in response.

Takashi yelped when Vector did and jerked back too, looking around for the source of alarm. When he saw Umbral, he stopped before he gave laugh, shaking his head.

“Guess we forgot to close the door, and now he wants some love."

“He was sleeping on the sofa...I thought Ponta and Haruto had worn him out.”  Vector said.  Umbral meowed and nuzzled Vector, curling up on his chest and purring loudly as Vector finally sighed and stroked his head.

“...I should've named you 'Takashi' because of how much you seem to love me...”  He mused with a small smirk.  It was true...Umbral hardly left him alone.

Takashi gave a small laugh and pulled himself off, so he wouldn’t crush Umbral. He kissed his cheek and laid next to Vector. “It would be weird if you called me and the cat Takashi though,” The man smiled.

“The cat can be Takashi Jr. then.”  Vector chuckled, pouting a bit as Takashi rolled off of him.  He supposed they weren't going to have much fun now...Umbral had effectively interrupted them and killed the mood, and seemed very pleased with himself in doing so.  Vector turned his head and kissed Takashi gently.

“We can have fun later...” He cooed, when a loud meow interrupted him.  Vector rolled his eyes as Umbral mewled at him, begging to be pet and paid attention to.

“Geez, you are a handful aren't you.”  He noted, petting the kitty and letting it nuzzle him.

“Well you’re practically raising him as our child,” Takashi said before he laughed again. Umbral was just too funny. “Maybe you should call him Vector Jr. He seems more like you.”

“I guess so...it's not like we'll have a real kid of our own anyway.”  Vector mused.  He chuckled as Umbral snuggled against him, purring happily as he was pet.  

“Nah.  'Umbral' is fine...it comes from the Latin word 'umbra', meaning 'shadow'.  As a black cat, he's a shadow...you'd never see him coming until it's too late! Vector chuckled, smiling as he nuzzled Umbral back while the kitten gently licked his cheek, purring happily.

“I’m kidding, Umbral is a nice name anyway,” Takashi smiled, laying on Vector.

Vector held Takashi close, smiling as he was cuddled by both his cat and his boyfriend.  

“I thought so too...I'm glad you like it.”  He said, kissing Takashi's cheek.

“I love you...”

“I love you…” Takashi murmured. He was glad that they were resting, even though he did like the idea of getting it on with Vector. It was better if Vector could take it easy. “… You want to just talk?”

Vector smiled, not too annoyed with the fact that Umbral had prevented them from having sex.  The kitten was sprawled across his upper chest, curled as close to Vector's face as he could get, purring contently and settling in for a nap, it seemed.  

“Yeah...sure.  Next time, we'll have to leave Umbral out of the bedroom to get things done.”  He said.

“Lock the door.” Takashi smiled. “Maybe we can spend more time together if you’re not always typing away on your laptop. You still haven’ said what you’re doing."

"Yeah...that'll keep out the little rascal." Vector said with a smile. He sighed.

"...I'm sorry. I still can't tell you. It's coming along nicely though...I'm gonna have to go see Uncle about it soon." Vector said. He snuggled Takashi gently.

"Once it's done, I'll feel better. I can take a break for now."

“… Will it be much longer? I’m just worried,” Takashi said, petting Vector’s buzz cut.

"I'm not sure. It could take awhile." He said with a small shrug. He was happy with the petting.

“… Must be pretty complicated if you’re having problems with it,” Takashi teased.

"It's complicated!" Vector pouted. He smiled.

"Plus, I'm determined to get it right..."

“I hope you do,” Takashi murmured.

Vector sighed, snuggling against Takashi as best he could without disturbing Umbral.

"It'll work...you'll see." He said softly.

“Of course it will, I didn’t doubt it.” Takashi chuckled. “I’m pretty excited."

“Excited?  I'm glad...I'll show you when it's ready.”  He said with a smile.  He kissed Takashi's cheek.  

“I really hope you'll like it...I'm making it for you, you know.”  

Takashi held the man and looked at him seriously. “… Make sure that… I’d rather spend time with you than have some gift."

Vector nodded.

“Of course...whenever you wanna do something, I'm yours.”  He said with a smile, nuzzling Takashi gently.  

“Alright… I love you…” Takashi sighed.

“I love you.”  Vector said, before a meow cut him off.  He snorted and pet the impatient kitten curled up against him.  

“And I love you too, Umbral~” He cooed, which had the cat purring happily.

-x-

Astral was adapting well to life on the outside.  He had been hacking to pay off his debt to Yuuto, and was very happy to have gotten that out of the way.  But...he was still waiting for his new fake ID.  He wanted to go outside and see Kaito, and Haruto, and Yuuma and Shark. He needed to see how his friends were doing.  At the moment, he was waiting for an update from Yuuto on how things would go.

Yuuto was in and out of the building. While Yuuya was there most days, Yuuto sometimes was gone hours at a time. However, one day, he came back without a word and he presented a yellow slip to Astral out of nowhere.

“… Inside is your documentation. We just need to update your look, present your photos and you’ll be a free man."

Astral glanced at him when he came in.  He smiled a bit as he received the news.  If he was a free man, he could see Kaito again!  He was glad.  He nodded.

“Alright...what do you mean by 'updating my look'?”  He asked.

“You were accused as Astral, convicted as Hope and are on the run. People are going to recognise your face. It’s not difficult, given your appearance, so we’ll need to change that to help you blend in. I take it you intend on actually staying in Heartland instead of packing up for Egypt like Yami and some others… so that makes it only the more important. I’m thinking tattoos, a tan of some sort, a haircut and dye… that sort of thing.”

Astral listened, pondering what he could do.  He knew he wanted to stay in Heartland.  That was where all his friends and Kaito were.  But as for how he wanted to change his appearance...he'd have to think about that.

“...But, even with tattoos or tans, I could still be recognized.  Especially if they do a facial recognition scan...”  He noted, frowning as he thought about how he could get away from that.

“Not if we tattoo your face and add disruptors under the markings. They would be painful initially, but the small balls in your skin will disrupt your features, making you seem a different man. The eyes may be an issue, but you can wear sunglasses or fake glasses to hide yourself too.” Yuto said.

“I see...I would agree to that.  Perhaps I can do the same with contact lenses.”  He said with a sigh.

“How long does it take to get these tattoos done?  I wish to be able to leave as soon as possible.”  

“It will hurt for a couple of weeks but I can schedule you in for an appointment late this afternoon or tomorrow morning.”

“I'll do it this afternoon then.”  Astral said without hesitation.  He would handle the pain...the sooner he got it done and the sooner he would get to see Kaito.

“I said I’ll schedule you in… My tattoo artist may not be able to get all the materials on short notice. It would help if you picked patterns.”

“I see...I will pick patterns so that we can begin as soon as possible.”  Astral said, checking over shapes.  He examined a few shapes.

“I like the diamonds and the triangles...”  

“In green seems nice. They’re practical for creating the illusion your face is narrower than it is. That would help."

"Yes, I agree...I like that idea." Astral said. He wondered what Kaito or Yuuma would think of this. It would certainly be different.

"Perhaps I can put some diamonds on my forehead." Astral suggested.

“Well map it out and then figure it out."

"Yeah, sounds good." Astral said with a small smile. He put an image of himself on the screen of his computer and started inputting the shapes and trying to photoshop them into place so they looked like real tattoos.

"Like this...it looks nice." Astral said once he was done.

“Thought you were just going to draw it… It looks better like this,” Yuuto said, looking at the screen. “Wow… Right..."

"This is how I draw..." Astral muttered. He smiled as Yuuto agreed.

"Perhaps if I give this to the tattoo artist, he can duplicate it." Astral suggested.

“You’re good,” Yuuto smiled. “… Well… Hand it over then.” Yuuto said, stretching his hand out.

“Alright.”  Astral said, printing it off and handing it to Yuuto.

Yuuto smirked and picked it up. “Did you know I was a tattoo artist?” He asked, looking at the diagrams and calculating the costs in his head.

“No, I did not.  Do you still do them, or have you moved on?” Astral asked, curious.

“No, I still do them. Part time job. It’s where I know all this tattoo and chip business. It helps.” Yuuto shrugged, examining the photo.

“Are you able to do mine then?”  Astral asked.

“Of course. Simple enough… But I hope you know how painful tattoos are.”

“I have never had any, so I am sure I have no idea.”  Astral said simply, not looking fazed.  

“I expect it to be quite painful...but if I can endure it, I will be free to roam around without much worry. That will be worth it.”  

“Alright… I’ll go get the materials and stuff, and then I’ll go and get you tomorrow. We should have that sorted by then,” Yuto said. He gave a sigh. “… ngh..."

“Okay...thank you, Yuuto. I am glad...I will be able to pay you for the tattoos tomorrow.”  Astral said with a smile.

Yuto paused before he smirked. “You’re a good man, Hope. Remember that… See ya around.” He walked off with the paper, grimacing at meeting one of his other brothers for the supplies, but willing to do it for Astral.

-x-

Haruto was not feeling well, and he hadn't been ever since that day he'd gone to see Ms. Varian with Ponta.  He was increasingly tired, as if his strength was being sapped and his body was aching. But, he refused to tell anyone. He didn't want to worry his brother. As long as he could keep moving like normal, he would be fine.  

Haruto was in the kitchen, forcing himself to eat, even though he just wanted to collapse.  B ut he was more determined to keep up a face for Kaito and Chris.  He couldn't let them know how awful he felt.

Kaito was in his study, working as per normal, but Chris had the day off and was cooking eggs for Kaito after feeding Haruto. However, Haruto’s sickly expression was unnerving him a bit, and he prematurely switched the stove off so he could have a look at Haruto.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” He asked, eyes grave and serious. “You did take your medicine this morning, right?”

Haruto forced a smile that he hoped would be convincing for Chris.  

“I'm fine!  And of course I did...Nii-san would get mad if I didn't.”  Haruto said, trying to sound as energetic as he could.  He bit into his sandwich to give himself an excuse to avoid answering another question as he chewed.

Chris frowned, definitely not convinced. “Well… Make sure you rest, okay? Has that fever come back?"

“Nope!”  Haruto lied.  He had tried to suppress it with other medication, but it had only dulled the painful headache to slightly irritating.  But he didn't want to rest.  He wanted to do things.

“Alright… Well just take it easy anyway. It might be a passing thing,” Chris made a mental note to call the doctors to push Haruto’s appointment earlier. He returned to the cooking, an ear out for Haruto.

“I will!  I'll be okay!”  Haruto said, finishing up his sandwich.  He decided he would go check on his brother, and maybe talk to him about some plans for the day.  He was determined to go out and do something fun...maybe Nii-san could come with him?

“Nii-san?”  He asked, knocking on the study door gently.

Kaito looked up when he heard his brother. “Come in!” he called, noting Haruto’s voice was faint.

Haruto came in.

“Nii-san...do you wanna do something with me today?  We could go for a walk or something.”  He suggested. He was still pretty determined to get Kaito out of the house as much as possible.

Kaito paused. “Are you losing your voice, Haruto? You’re sounding faint… Or is that just the fever from yesterday?” Kaito frowned. “We can go for a short walk I suppose."

“Probably...but I feel better today, Nii-san!”  He said with a smile.  “Sure! That sounds good!  Can we go soon, or are you busy?”  

“Alright… You go upstairs and get ready. I’ll be there in a moment…"

“Okay!”  Haruto said, heading out of the study and going upstairs. Unfortunately, as he started to climb the stairs, he was hit by a dizzy spell that made him double over.  He collapsed onto the stairs, groaning slightly.

“Ngh...”  

“Hm? Haruto? Are you okay?” Chris frowned, hearing the noise. He headed towards the bottom of the stairs. “Haruto? Haruto?”

Haruto mentally cursed as he heard Chris approach the stairs.  He weakly tried to get up, but it hurt too much to move so he just lay back down with a small groan.  

“I'm...I'm fine, Chris! I'll...be down soon...”  He managed to say, trying to speak as loudly as he could.

“Haruto? Haruto?” Chris climbed the stairs and he stared at the boy, tensed on it. “Did you fall? Are you okay?” He asked, trying to help him up.

Haruto cried out softly in pain as he was moved.  He couldn't help it...his side was practically on fire.  Just like with Ponta, but even worse...he managed to sit up, but barely.  

“I...Chris...it hurts...” He said softly.  

Chris gave a frown and supported the boy, “Shhh… It’s okay. We’ll go to the hospital now.” He turned out. “Orbital! Obomi! Kaito! I need someone here on the stairs!"

Haruto bit his lip, letting Chris help support him.

“...I'm okay...I don't have to go...”  He said softly. Kaito heard Chris calling and hurried over.

“Chris, what's wrong?” He asked, able to see Chris' and Haruto's very blurry figures almost meshed together.  

“Haruto?  Are you there too?  What's going on?”  He asked.

“Kaito,” Chris frowned. “Call the hospital. Haruto’s in pain. He has a high fever and he fell over on the stairs."

Kaito was immediately worried.

“No...Nii-san, I'm okay...” Haruto protested, but Kaito wouldn't have any of it.  

“Haruto, you're clearly in pain.  We have to get you some help right now.  Orbital, call the hospital immediately!  Hurry it up!” He barked, and Orbital rushed to the phone to make the call to the doctors.  

Chris frowned and carefully picked up Haruto. He took him to the couch and rested him there. “Obomi. I need some cool packs. Quick."

Haruto reluctantly let Chris carry him, trying not to groan in pain repeatedly.  He'd successfully worried his brother, but now all he wanted was to minimize the damage.  Kaito followed Chris and immediately sat next to Haruto.

“Hang in there Haruto...help is coming.  We're right here...we'll look after you.”  He said.  Haruto smiled a bit.  

“...I'm glad...Nii-san sounds like himself again...”  He replied softly.  Kaito sighed.

“Rest, Haruto...it'll be okay.”  

It would have been a funny statement if not the situation was so grave. Obomi returned with towel-wrapped ice packs to try help Haruto’s fever down, which had spiked since yesterday. Chris cursed under his breath for not noticing sooner, and went to call Haruto’s general practitioner while waiting for the ambulance.

Haruto gave a small groan as his brother carefully placed the towel-wrapped ice packs on his forehead. He was tired and sore...

“...I hope...I get better soon...so Nii-san and I can go walking...”  He said softly.

Kaito frowned. “Shhh… It’s okay. Don’t talk, Haruto. Just rest. You’ll have help soon..."

Haruto smiled a bit.

“I know...I'll be okay, Nii-san...don't worry.”  He said. He was determined to not be incapacitated by this illness long.  He'd recover, then go back to playing with Ponta and going on walks with his big brother and helping Chris around the house.  

Kaito didn’t know what else to say, and thankfully he didn’t have to. Soon, Chris was letting the ambulance workers come into the house to get Haruto on to the stretcher.

Haruto was silent, having dozed off for a bit on the sofa with his big brother next to him.  The medical team got him on the stretcher and placed him in the ambulance.  Chris glanced at Kaito.

“You should go with him...take Orbital.  I'll come meet you later by car.”  He suggested.

“Alright… Thanks Chris… Orbital, let’s go."

“Yes, Kaito-sama!” Orbital said, getting into the ambulance with Kaito and Haruto as they drove to the hospital.  Haruto was being given medication in order to dull the pain.

“...Nii-san?”  He managed to say.

Kaito blindly felt for his brother’s hand. He could barely see in the ambulance lights but he clutched the warm hand and choked back a sob. “I’m here..."

Haruto was fading fast, since the drugs were kicking in and slowly putting him to sleep.  He was afraid, deep down, but he kept up a brave face for his brother.  He could tell Kaito was even more worried.  He squeezed his brother's hand as best he could and gave him a small smile.

“...I'll be okay, Nii-san...don't worry.  Can you just tell Ponta...that I...can't play with him for a bit?  I promised...I would see him again tomorrow...”

“I will… But you’ll be able to tell him yourself, okay? You’re going to be alright,” Kaito said, trying to see through the rapid blurs of paramedics. “Orbital. Give them an update and record of Haruto’s condition both today and of the past week.”

Haruto smiled a bit wider.

“Yeah...you're right...Nii-san...”  He said softly, before sighing softly and closing his eyes.  He was too tired to stay awake for now, and soon he drifted into a deep, drug-induced sleep.  

“Yes, Kaito-sama...right away!”  Orbital said, quickly accessing its files and printing off the records for the paramedics to look at.  The paramedics did the best they could with the information they had, promising to pass the records on to the doctors too once they reached the hospital.  Haruto was quickly lead into the emergency room to be checked over, leaving Kaito and Orbital 7 in the waiting area, praying for his safety and recovery.

-x-

Today, Vector was going to see his uncle.  He needed to talk to him about the project he'd been working on...things were progressing nicely.  He'd managed to program a couple important memories into the model, along with as accurate a picture of his personality as he could give it.  But, there was no way to know if this model was truly self-sufficient and able to think independently without entering its world.  That was where the next step came in...he had to build a machine that would link the real world with the virtual one, allowing someone to enter the virtual reality and interact with the model.  Vector wasn't as good with machines, and there was no way he could build one at his house without Takashi questioning him.  So that left his uncle, who had built an entire motorcycle from scratch and was therefore more qualified to build one of these.  

Vector entered the living room, his laptop all packed up in its carrying case.

“Takashi, I'm going out to see Uncle...I'll be back later.”  He said.  

Takashi looked up and he frowned. “You need me to go drop you off? How are you feeling..."

“It's alright...I can bus. And I feel fine..I'll bring my phone and I'll be with Uncle.  It'll be okay.”  Vector said, kissing Takashi's cheek.  Umbral gave a loud meow, wanting to be part of the love.  Vector chuckled and kissed Umbral's head and gave him a pet.  

“…” Takashi sighed. “Stay safe, okay. I love you.”

“I will, don't worry! I love you too.”  Vector said with a smile, before heading out.  He caught a bus and went straight to Yusei's garage. He arrived and headed into the back to see his uncle.

“Hey...I'm here, Uncle.” He said.

Yusei looked up from where he was working. It was a Sunday, so he was the only one in.

“Hey Vector, ‘sup?"

“Not much...you remember that project I was working on?  I think I might need your help with it.”  Vector said, coming in.

Yusei raised an eyebrow and switched off the motorbike engine. He indicated to the couch and sat down, looking at his nephew. “So what can I do to help you? Something mechanical, I’m guessing?"

Vector sat on the couch with Yusei once the man gestured for him to sit.  

“Mechanical, yes.  You see, I can handle the computer stuff...but I need a machine that will access the program I'm creating.  Ideally, it will allow people to interact with the program directly by entering into its virtual world.”  Vector said.  

“… Entering virtual world with responsive systems? … That’s pretty serious stuff you’re asking me, Vector…” Yusei frowned.

“Well, I would handle the programming mostly...but the machine itself is the part that I have trouble building on my own.  But, since you've built a motorcycle from scratch, I figured it would be easier for you to do it than me.  I'm not too good with building actual machinery.”  

“Fair enough… I can ask a friend or two to help out… we can work on something. You got the theory?”

“Yeah...check this out.” Vector said, opening his laptop to show Yusei his little blueprint plan he'd made.  

“I'm thinking at the very least, it would be a helmet.  It may have to be an entire pod...it depends on whether or not I can program a little helmet to do what I want it to.”  Vector said, showing Yusei the two designs.

“I’ll look into it… Let’s see… You want Takashi to be able to feel ‘you’ right?"

“Exactly...really, anyone could.  Even you could come visit.  It'll make the experience feel more real.”  Vector said with a smile.

“Well more than likely we can do it from the helmet but maybe some stimulus pads to help the nerves experience sensation.”

“Maybe...that sounds like a good idea.  We'll see how this goes.”  Vector said with a shrug.

“I suppose I can start building it straight away. I’ll go shopping for parts after examining these blueprints…” Yusei looked at him. “You know I can come over to your house… you’re still sick."

Vector smiled.

“Thanks, Uncle!  I'm glad I can rely on you!”  He said happily.  He sighed, about to say he was fine when he started coughing a bit.  He couldn't help his occasional little fits.

“Hey… Hey… Easy there. Do you need water?"

Vector calmed from his coughing fit and nodded.  

“I'll be fine...”  

“…” Yusei frowned and went back upstairs. He grabbed the pitcher of water and got Vector a drink anyway. “Take it easy. Geeze. You get out of Takashi’s sight and suddenly you sound like you’re dying.”

Vector accepted the drink, mostly as an excuse to not talk at first.

“I said I'm fine, Uncle. Don't worry.  I am dying, but it's gradual.”  Vector said with a sigh.

“That's why I want to finish this as soon as I can.”

“….” Yusei sighed. “… I’ll make sure it’s done… even if you die before it, I’ll make sure it’s done..."

Vector smiled a bit.  

“Thanks Uncle...but don't worry.  I don't plan on dying anytime soon.”  He said reassuringly.

“No one does and yet lots of corpses."  Yusei muttered.  

Vector sighed.

“You're negative...come on Uncle, I'm fine.  Really.” He said, trying to reassure his uncle.

“I know… I know…” He murmured. “Sorry… You just sounded like your dad when you said that…”

Vector blinked, not able to recall when his father had ever said anything like that.  But, he figured it was probably a private conversation between him and Yusei.  He sighed.

“It's okay, Uncle. Sorry, I didn't realize...but really, I told you I'm gonna hang in there for as long as I can.  You'll have plenty of time with me left...and even more if I can get this program done.”  He promised.

“… Yeah… I know…” Yusei rubbed his temples again and looked at the plans.

Vector smiled and patted his uncle's back.

“Good.  Remember it!  I'll be okay.  But hey, if you're worried and wanna come over next time, that's okay...we'll just have to kick Takashi out of the house.  He won't mind.  I kinda figured I'd surprise him with this.”  Vector said.

“… Fine,” Yusei smirked and went to ruffle Vector’s beanie like he would someone’s hair.

Vector pouted as his hat was ruffled around.

"Oi!" He pouted, but he didn't mind.

"Oh, and if you do come over, you can meet our new kitten." Vector mused, not sure what Yusei's opinion of cats or even pets was.

“You have a kitten? Never saw you as one for pets…” Yusei raised an eyebrow. “What’s their name? Anything like Yubel’s cat, Pharaoh?” Lazy shit.

"Yeah we do. We didn't really mean to get him, but he was a stray that followed me home after a walk one day. Takashi suggested we take him in until someone came to claim him...it's been a month and nobody's responded to our posters, so I'm assuming he's ours for good." Vector mused with a smile.

"He's a black cat, so I named him Umbral, meaning 'shadow'. And I swear sometimes he is like my shadow...he barely leaves me alone for more than a couple minutes." Vector said.

“Hmmm? Fair enough then. Sounds cute.” Yusei smiled, “Good you’re fairing for yourself, you know.” He was happy for his nephew. He never seized to surprise him with what he got up to.

Vector smiled.

"He is very cute, but also demanding. He craves attention like crazy." Vector said, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah...I'm happy to be living at the moment. Takashi still worries but I'm doing fine."

“Sounds like some shit I know…” Yusei smirked back.

“… That’s good. You have been spending time with him… not just staring at this, right?”

Vector snorted.

"Takashi said the same thing...he said Umbral is what I would be if I was a little furball." He chuckled. He nodded.

"Yeah, I have been. Takashi still has work of his own, so we can both work on our own projects, then spend time together when he's done his job."

“That’s nice, you got it all figured out, heh?” He smiled. “Good for you…”

“Yep!  Now, let's work on this thing.”  Vector said, getting to work with his uncle.

-x-

Ponta was packing up a small bag full of toys and games that he wanted to show Haruto today when they got together.  He was so excited to see him, as always!  

But Haruto wouldn’t be home. The only person there was Chris, quietly cleaning some things at home, waiting for more news on Haruto. It had been three days since he went to the hospital, and Chris was still waiting for the time he could go and see him.

Ponta hurried over to Haruto's house, knocking on the door excitedly, completely unaware that Haruto wasn't home.

Chris opened the door without much thought. He knew it wouldn’t be Kaito knocking, so he figured it would be the postman with a package or something. He was surprised when he saw Ponta, looking up innocently at him.

“Ah… Hello Ponta… I suppose you’re here to see Haruto..."

“Yeah, pon!  He said I could come over today!  Where is he?  I brought lots of new toys to show him!”  He asked, coming inside already with a grin.

“… Ah… I’m sorry, Ponta,” Chris lowered himself down to Ponta’s height and looked at him, “… He’s in hospital again."

Ponta stopped when the very tall Chris lowered himself down to his height, glancing at him in confusion. His eyes widened and the smile fell from his face when Chris shared the news with him.

“What?  He's sick, pon?  Oh no...is he okay?  What happened?”  Ponta asked, remembering how last time Haruto had just collapsed so suddenly and cut himself on broken glass in the process.

“He’s sick. He’s very sick right now. The doctors think his body has pushed itself way too hard. I haven’t been able to get any information about him right now."

Ponta was very saddened by that news.  If Haruto was working too hard...did that mean it was his fault too?  He remembered when they had gone to see Ms. Varian, when Haruto had half-way collapsed while they were on the bus.  Maybe if he hadn't been there at all...things would have been better?  Ponta felt guilty.

“...So...do you know if Haruto can have visitors, pon?”  He asked.

“No, he can’t…” Chris sighed. “But he’s strong in spirit. He’ll pull through..."

Ponta smiled a bit at that, since he knew it was true, but it didn't make him feel too much better.  It was still his fault Haruto had been worn out to begin with.  He nodded.

“Okay, pon...can you tell me when he can have visitors?  Whenever Kaito-san tells you?”  He asked.

“I’ll tell you when, okay? It may not be for a while."

Ponta nodded, bowing slightly.

“Okay...thank you, pon. I'll go now.”  He said, turning and heading out.  He reluctantly went home, trying not to cry as he did so.

“…” Chris frowned and let Ponta go, not able to stop the boy if he wanted to. He closed his eyes and headed inside, going to rest.

Gilag saw Ponta coming home through the living room window. Frowning, the man headed for the door and opened it before Ponta could get up the first step. “Ponta?”

Ponta wasn't really trying to hide that he was upset.  He approached the steps, surprised when the door opened.  He glancing up at Gilag when his brother opened the door.  

“...Haruto's in hospital, pon...he can't play today....”  He said sadly.

Gilag’s face fell and he knelt down to swoop Ponta into a hug. “… Ah..."

Ponta let himself be swooped up.  Gilag was still so much bigger than him and could definitely pick him up with practically no effort.  He hugged Gilag back sadly.  

“...They said his body was tired, pon...I shouldn't have gone and taken him out of the house so much pon...” He said softly, letting out a bit of his guilt.

Gilag cuddled Ponta tightly and stroked his head. “… It’s not your fault… It’s not. You know that, Ponta."

Ponta frowned.

“...I guess, pon...” He said, hugging his brother tight.

“Listen,” Gilag pulled Ponta away a little so they could see eye to eye. “You were helping Haruto be happy. Did Haruto ever regret going out with you? These things happen sometimes, Ponta. You’re not to blame, alright?”

Ponta blinked as Gilag pulled him away slightly, staring directly into his face.  That meant he was serious.  Ponta listened, before lowering his gaze.

“...No, pon...he said he liked going out with me, pon.”  Ponta recalled.  He nodded at last.  It wasn't his fault entirely then...but...if Haruto didn't get better soon, he'd still feel a bit guilty.

“Okay, pon.”  

“He got better before, right? He’ll definitely be okay,” Gilag smiled. “Have faith in him, alright?"

Ponta smiled a bit at that.

“Yeah...he did get better before, pon.  He will this time too...”  He said, looking back up at Gilag and nodding.  

“I have faith...I'm gonna see him as soon as I can, pon.”

“That’s the spirit. Now let’s go just relax, okay? Maybe you can make Haruto a card, if you’re up for it"

“Yeah!  I can do that, pon!  Will Gilag help?”  Ponta asked, grabbing his big brother's hand.

“Of course I will…” He smiled. “I have to go to work in a couple of hours though, but we can do a card in that time anyway."

“We can start one maybe! I'm gonna make Haruto the best card ever, pon.”  Ponta said, determined, heading back into the house.  Alit and Kotori were inside.  Kotori was resting on the couch reading a book, while Alit was on the computer, checking emails.  Alit looked up first when he heard Ponta.

“Ponta?  I thought you were visiting Haruto?”  He asked, surprised.  Ponta shook his head.

“Haruto is in hospital, pon...so Gilag and I are gonna make him a card instead!”

Gilag gave a small smile at Alit and sighed. “Yeah… looks like that.”

“Really?” Kotori frowned. “I should call Kaito… see how he’s fairing then. That sounds awful.”

“Chris said that he can't have visitors yet, pon...so I think it's bad...but he'll get better.”  Ponta said.  Alit nodded.

“That's the spirit, Ponta. He'll get better.  You'll see.”  Alit said gently.

“Mmm… Come on Ponta. Let’s make a card. You can show Haruto how good your writing is now,” Gilag said, taking Ponta away. Kotori put her book down and looked at her husband.

“Hope the Tenjos are alright."

Alit nodded.

“Yeah...I hope they are too. Kaito's gotta be taking this hard.” He said, with a small frown. Kaito had been through enough in Alit's mind...his boyfriend had turned out to be a hacker and not to mention the additional health problems that Kaito had to live with...

“I’ll go call Chris and ask if I can bring food over.” Kotori sighed. She glanced over to Alit. “Any important emails I should know about?"

“Nothing so far...oh wait, here's one from Koutei!”  Alit said, face brightening up a bit as he read an update from his rival.

“It says he's been studying in university, at his parent's request...but he's found a real interest in history!  I'm glad...if it keeps his parents off his back, then it's good.”  He paused to read more, before grinning.

“And he says he definitely wants to come visit us soon!”  Alit said happily.  

“Oh that’s good for him,” Kotori said, glad to hear a little good news. “It’s about time Koutei found something he liked. And it’ll be nice to see him again."

“Yeah!  I'm happy for him.”  Alit said with a grin, typing a reply out.  

“Definitely...we can have a little spar maybe.  And well...depending on when he comes, he might get to meet our new kid...”  Alit said with a small smile.  It was still hard for him to believe that he was going to be a real father soon.  Ponta didn't really count as a 'son' to him, even though he looked out for him like a father would.

Ponta considered Alit more of a brother anyway.

“Maybe… it’s still a while before our little babe is born,” Kotori said, rubbing her stomach, a small smile on her face.

“Yeah, I know...but Koutei didn't say when he was coming, so I don't know what his plans are.”  Alit said, finishing off his reply to Koutei. He basically told him what was going on with them, including updates on Kotori's pregnancy (he'd told Koutei pretty much as soon as he found out) and on Ponta and Gilag.  Once he sent it off, he came to join Kotori on the couch, snuggling with her.  

“I'm excited though...” He mused.

Kotori smiled, “We’re lucky…” Her smile faded. “Hopefully our baby will be strong… I don’t think I’d be as strong as Haruto and Kaito if I was in their position. They’re brave..."

Alit nodded, frowning a bit as Kotori expressed worry.  He shook his head, hugging her close to comfort her.

“Babe, our baby's gonna be super strong and healthy.  There's nothing to worry about, okay?  And even though Haruto's not the strongest...he's still made the most of his life so far with Kaito-san's help.  We'll do the same for our kid, no matter what.”  Alit said.  

“… Yeah, I know.” Kotori smiled. “We’ll be okay.. and those guys will be too."

“Yeah...we'll be fine.” Alit said, about to say more when the phone rang.  

“I'll get it.”  He said, getting up and picking up the phone.

“Hello?”  He asked, and Yuuma's eager voice greeted him.

“Alit!  Hi!  How's it going?”  He asked. Alit grinned.  

“Yo, Yuuma!  It's been awhile!  What's up?  I'm gonna put you on speaker so Kotori can listen too!”  He said, sitting back down and turning the phone on speakerphone so Kotori could hear it.  

Kotori raised her eyebrows. “Hey Yuma. What’s up?"

“Hey guys!  Guess what?  Nee-chan told me she's having a baby!  So I'm gonna be an uncle!”  He said happily.  Alit grinned.

“Wow really?  That's great, Yuuma!  Congrats!”  

“Wow, really? Akari?” Kotori smiled. “That’s good for your family, Yuuma. Congrats.”

Yuuma nodded.

“Yep!  She told me the other day, and we went shopping for kids clothes!  It was fun!” Yuuma said.  Alit chuckled.

“Yeah, it's fun isn't it?” Alit said.  

“Won’t be all fun and games, Alit,” Kotori teased. She chuckled. “How are things besides that, Yuuma?"

“I know, I know...but the shopping is!”  Alit said with a smirk.  Yuuma chuckled too.  

“Things are going great! Shark and I are super excited...we just got back from Neo Domino, cause Shark took me on a surprise vacation!  We had tons of fun!”

“Really? No wonder I haven’t heard from you in a while. What did you do there?”

“We mostly rested in our hotel...it's been awhile since we spent much time together, so we just did that, pretty much!  We also went out for meals, watched some movies, and explored the city!”  Yuuma said with a grin.  He was sticking to their cover story perfectly.  

“Awww… that’s so cute. Sounds like our honeymoon,” The woman smiled, chuckling.

“That was fun.”  Alit mused with a grin.  Yuuma chuckled.

“I bet the real honeymoon that Shark and I will take someday will be better!”  Yuuma said with a grin.  

“Mmm…” Kotori gave a small smile. “And you and Shark are okay after this honeymoon?"

“Oh yeah!  Of course!  We're fine...we're just going back to work like usual!”  Yuuma said.  “Anything new on your side?”  

“Just trying to work with the baby, that’s all. The faculty at work are all guessing the gender and everything,” Kotori laughed.

Yuuma chuckled too.

“You guys aren't gonna check?”  He asked. Alit shrugged.

“It's kinda nice to have a surprise, don't you think?  It doesn't matter either way to us.”  

“Yeah, we’ll love them either way,” Kotori smiled, rubbing her tummy and sighing.

Yuuma smiled.

“Of course!  It's totally up to you whether you wanna know in advance! I wonder if Nee-chan will make the same decision...oh and how's Ponta?  And Gilag?”  

“Gilag is fine… but… Ponta isn’t the best,” Kotori frowned. “He just found out today that Haruto has gone back into hospital..."

“Oh no...that's horrible. I hope Haruto gets better soon.” Yuuma said sadly.  

“You might want to call Kaito and see how he’s going.”

“Yeah...I'm sure Kaito's taking it hard.  I'll cal him after I get off the phone with you two!”  Yuuma said.

“Alright, thanks Yuma.”

Yuuma smiled.  

“I'll talk to you guys later after I talk to Kaito.  Hopefully Haruto's doing okay and I can get ahold of him.  Bye!”  He said, hanging up and dialing Kaito's number.  He hoped everything was going okay with Haruto.

“… What?” Kaito snapped, as soon as he picked up the phone. He couldn’t see, and he had Orbital 7 in the room overlooking Haruto’s procedure, so the worried man had no patience for anything. He paced up and down the room, body trembling as he spoke. “Who is this?”

Yuuma blinked in surprise, recoiling a bit from the snappy voice of Kaito.  So he was that stressed huh?  

“Hey...it's Yuuma.  I wanted to see how things were going with you...”  He said carefully.

Kaito deliberated switching the phone off when he realised it wasn’t anyone who would help with Haruto. However, against his better judgement, he sighed and shook his head.

“… Haruto is in hospital. I’m waiting for the verdict from the doctors..."

Yuuma nodded.

“I heard...is he in surgery or something?”  Yuuma asked, frowning in concern.  Kaito was clearly not okay...

“...Is there anything I can do to help?  I could bring you food or something...”  

“Yes.” Kaito muttered. “… I’m fine. I just want Haruto to be okay…” His voice softened dramatically. The man closed his eyes and gave a long sigh.

Yuuma nodded.

"Yeah....I do too. He'll be okay. He's tough." Yuuma said. He wasn't sure what else to do.

"Just let me know if you need anything....were here for you."

“… Thank you…. but goodbye.”

"Alright Kaito...see you." He said, hanging up.

A few minutes later, the emergency room door opened and the doctor emerged.

"Tenjo Kaito?" He asked.

Kaito looked towards the doctor and walked to them, despite the pain that shot through is body.

“Doctor, how is he?"

"Haruto has made it out of surgery...but he's heavily medicated at the moment, since sleep is what he needs to recover his strength." The doctor said, before sighing.

"The disease is progressing steadily. His liver and pancreas are scarred and it's only a matter of time before it spreads to the rest of his body. He doesn't have too long...maybe a year or so at most." The doctor said solemnly.

“… Churg-Strauss syndrome…” he muttered. “… A year? Confirmed? That’s it?” Kaito asked in disbelief.

"Based on the speed of progression, a year is probably it. But, some patients are strong enough to last a bit longer. It's really up to him." The doctor said.

“…” Kaito frowned and nodded. “I understand… and… Even with medication, that’s it?"

"Yes. There is no cure for Churg-Strauss. We'll be commencing treatment on your brother immediately." The doctor said.

“… Thank you. If there’s anything I can do to help him… please… Tell me."

"Of course...making sure he has plenty of rest will be helpful. Follow me...he's in a room now." The doctor said. Orbital 7 came over to help guide Kaito.

“Thank you…” The man frowned, following after the doctor. He held onto Orbital’s head and sighed.

The doctor guided Kaito to Haruto's room, where the boy was sleeping, with an oxygen mask and heart rate monitor on.  There was an IV in his arm.

“He's heavily medicated, so it's unlikely he will wake up soon.  We will be administering treatment while he's asleep, and monitoring his vitals. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some rounds to get to.”  The doctor said, heading out and leaving Kaito and Orbital with Haruto.

Kaito nodded and looked at the blurry blob that was his brother. He wanted to hold his hand, tell him it would be okay, but he knew he couldn’t. He couldn’t bring himself to touch Haruto in this state, knowing that his brother was so fragile. Kaito didn’t want to risk breaking him.

“Please… be okay…”

-x-

Today was the day that Astral was going to get his tattoos done.  He was both excited and nervous.  On the one hand, once he got these, he would definitely be free...but on the other, it would be painful and take time to recover.  He had done some research on tattoos and how to care for them while they were recently done...since most of them would be on his face, he knew it would be sensitive.  But, in order to see Kaito again, he had to endure this pain.  

Astral approached the small tattoo parlor where Yuuto had told him they would meet to get this over with. He was as ready as he'd ever be.

Yuuto was there, cleaning some of his equipment. In the chair across was a man with blue and blonde hair that looked similar to Yuuto, nursing a bloody lip and sporting a black eye. He was grumbling to himself as Yuuto looked up, hearing the little bell of the parlour.

“Hello there, Hope. Take a seat.”

Astral blinked as he noted the unfamiliar man sitting nearby.  

“Sure.”  He said, taking a seat, glancing between the two. He wasn't sure what this man was doing here, but he supposed it didn't matter as long as he could get the tattoo.

“That’s my brother, Yuugo, don’t mind him.” Yuuto said, adjusting the seat to make sure Astral was comfortable.

“Mind me! Geeze. I was kidding about not lending you shit.” Yuuto ignored Yuugo further as he began wiping Astral’s face.

“You have two brothers then? I did not know.  Nice to meet you.”  Astral said simply, before staying still as his face was wiped.  He was calm at this point...it wouldn't hurt to have the little imprints put on either once his face was clean.

“Eh, nice to meet you too. We’re quadruplets. We don’t talk about Yuuri though,” Yuugo commented. Yuuto marked the areas out before grabbing the small metal devices on the side bench.

“I’m going to have to insert these into your skin. This is going to be painful and it’ll take an hour, not including the actual tattoo art. Are you ready?”

Astral blinked, not sure what to take from that.  

“Quadruplets...wow.” He mused.  He glanced at Yuuto, looking at the tiny metal pieces that would soon be in his skin.  

“...Yes.  As ready as I will ever be.”  Astral said.

“Alright… Just watch the TV and stay still.” Yuuto said, getting a syringe out. He marked out the areas roughly in his head and put his finger to Astral’s cheek. He inserted the syringe, using it to widen the skin without so he could close it with the metal underneath in a second.

“Okay.”  Astral said, taking a deep breath to relax.  He tried his hardest not to tense too much, in fear of making Yuuto mess up with the syringe as it penetrated his cheek.  He clenched his fists a bit instead, not wanting to cringe or move his face at all.

“Sorry… I’d put you under medication but I explained why can’t do that.” Yuuto made sure the skin settled over the metal and shifted it gently with his finger so that it would look more natural. “Four more to go, and then we’ll get to the needle…” he muttered as he continued.

“It's okay...”  Astral said softly, still trying not to move. He clenched his fists tighter as Yuuto continued.  At least the man was being quick and efficient.  Not all of them hurt as badly as the first, but the added stinging of each wound that progressed was making it harder to stand.

Yuuto didn’t blame Astral if he cried or not. So far, most people would have called it off or screamed. Astral was strong as it was. The man continued inserting it in and then stepped back.

“Let that rest for ten minutes then we’ll continue."

Astral was relieved, not quite crying but trying desperately to suppress any tears, because he didn't want them to sting his new injuries on his cheeks.  He nodded in relief.

“Thank you...”  He said, sitting up and sighing a bit to calm down and get used to the pain.  

“Is the needle as painful as the inserts?”  

“Not as much… it does hurt though… and will hurt you more because of those inserts,” Yuuto said as he washed his hands.

“I see.  I can handle it then...”  Astral said.  

“… Let’s go then,” Yuuto said, now ready.

“Okay.”  Astral said, before lying down and waiting for Yuuto to finish up.

Yuuto brought the needle and inks together and began the long, painful process of inking and marking Astral’s face.

Astral kept his fists clenched the entire time, forcing himself to relax through the pain.  It wasn't as bad, but it was a much, much slower process than before.  He kept his eyes squeezed shut and bit his lip through most of it, not wanting to cry out or start tearing up either.

And after a few hours of painstaking control, he was done. Yuuto sighed and backed away. “There… it’ll hurt for ages and it’ll be red… but what do you think?”

Astral sat up once Yuuto backed off.  He glanced at the mirror, seeing his skin mostly red in the areas surrounding the blue tattoos...but other than that, they didn't look too bad.  

“They look okay...do I have to bandage them up or something?”  He asked.

“No, you don’t. Just try not to touch them or move too much.” Yuuto said.

“Looks good,” Yuugo said, fiddling with a spare earring he had found on the shelf. “Do you want piercings to complement your pain?"

Astral nodded his head carefully.  

“Earrings?”  He said, taking a glance at the earrings Yuugo held and then back to his face.  The dangly blue earrings would look nice...plus the complementing of his pain sounded good.

“Okay.”  He said.

“Wait, serious? Man… you must be some pain nut… To be fair though… Better now than later so it can heal all at once.”  Yuugo said. “Have you pierced your ears before?”

Astral attributed his high pain tolerance to his constant beatings in prison, and also to Yuuma. Whenever they were younger and got into adventures, Astral often got hurt alongside Yuuma, though not as frequently and not as seriously most of the time.  

“Yes...that was a long time ago.  The holes have likely closed.”  Astral said. He'd worn earrings as a child too, but never dangly types like these.  They looked nice.  He wondered vaguely if Kaito would like them.

“Well might as well…” Yuugo stretched. “Won’t hurt as much as your face though. Sit down and I’ll get you some gold studs to start with. Not free though.”

“Hope can provide the money. Just do the job properly,” Yuuto remarked.

“If it does hurt that much, I will know something is wrong.”  Astral noted, sitting down so that Yuugo could pierce his ears.  

“He might be hasty…” Yuuto muttered. Yuugo flipped his middle finger up before going to Astral.

“Here we go. Three… two… one… Done!”

Astral barely felt the piercing, but it did counteract the pain he felt on his face.  

“Can you do the other ear too?”  He asked, knowing it was a bit unusual sometimes for men to have both sides done, but it was something he wanted.

“Hmmm?” Yuugo looked at him and nodded. “Sure… if you want.” He didn’t say much else. He just pierced the other ear.

“You just need a haircut and you’ll look very different."

“Thank you.”  Astral said once Yuugo agreed to pierce his second ear.  He nodded.

“Of course.  I have not yet selected a hairstyle...but it doesn't matter for now, because I won't be going out without letting my face heal first.”

“Yep… You want to rest here for a while? I made Yuugo shut the shop so I could attend to you today,” Yuuto said.

“Yes… with his fists,” Yuugo muttered, pissed he didn’t beat Yuuto this time.

“Alright, if that is okay, then I will.”  Astral said, lying back down on the chair to rest.  He hoped in sleep the pain would be less.

Yuuto smiled and finished helping his brother clean. Then it was a matter of just talking.

-x-

Fuuya was excited. After so many years, he was finally going to be leaving the prison, along with Yamikawa.  He allowed himself to be lead to get his clothes, and it felt amazing to change into something that wasn't from the prison.  He grinned a bit at Yamikawa, admiring his clothes too.

“Today's the day...” He said with a smile.

Yamikawa was also smiling. He was dressed in his simple purple outfit, and it felt nice to be out of that restricting garment. “Mmm…”

And then he paused. “… Hang on, Robin… I see something on you that’s not ready.”

Fuuya smiled, before blinking in confusion.  He took a quick look at himself, not quite sure what Yamikawa meant.  His clothes looked fine to him.

“What do you mean?”  He asked.

Yamikawa smiled softly and put his hand on Robin’s hair. He smoothed it back, and pulled it to the side to look natural.

“… There. Better, Fuuya."

Fuuya felt Yamikawa's hand in his hair and smiled a bit as he realized what his boyfriend was doing. When he'd been in prison, he'd mostly worn his Robin hairstyle because it made him look a bit taller, and tougher. He smiled wider once it was done.

“Thanks, Yamikawa.”  He said.  It was nice to have his hair back the way it used to be normally.  

The man gave a small smile and he gently kissed the man on the head. “Yeah… let’s go..."

Fuuya smiled when Kawa kissed him.

"Yeah. Let's go find Droite."

Yamikawa nodded and lead him out, nodding to the guards as they walked out.

Fuuya followed him out to the area where Droite was waiting for them. He smiled and waved at her.

"Hi Droite...thank you for coming to get us." He said with a smile.

Droite was waiting in the front hall of the prison. When she spotted the men, the casually-dressed woman stood up and smiled.

“Hello there, both of you. It’s good to be meeting you like this.” She gestured the door. “Shall we?”

“Thank you,” Yamikawa took Fuuya’s hand.

Fuuya nodded eagerly.

"Let's go! I can't wait to get out of here...good riddance." He said, squeezing Kawa's hand with a smile.

Yamikawa squeezed it and led Fuuya into the light. Meanwhile, Droite headed towards her car.

“You said you both would stay at the dojo from now on, correct? Or did you have other plans?”

Fuuya paused to take a deep breath and sighed. It was so nice to be outside.

"We don't really...it depends on Rokujuro. Having both of us there permanently could be problematic, since it means that much more food is needed. Usually only Yamikawa stays there full time." Fuuya said.

Yamikawa was enjoying the sunlight more, and the lack of people crammed in one area. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His expression did fall a bit.

“I have caused dishonour to the dojo… I still need to go ask for forgiveness to my master…”

Fuuya nodded solemnly, patting Kawa's back gently.

"So, you see Droite. We don't really have any plans...I'm sure Rokujuro will forgive Yamikawa, but it doesn't mean we can both stay there.  We'll have to ask him." Fuuya explained.

Yamikawa nodded and remained quiet. Droite looked at them both, knowing they had a lot more work to do and their troubles weren’t over despite being free.

“We’ll drive there and then we’ll plan. You can stay the night with me if you need."

Fuuya smiled.

"Okay! Sounds good. Thank you so much Droite!" He said, leading Yamikawa to the car so they could all get in and get going.

“It’ll be a long drive… so do you want to collect something from where you used to live? Or get food?” Droite asked

"I guess food would be nice....I haven't eaten non-prison food in ages! And my stuff is in a safety deposit box...there's not a lot of it. Kawa's stuff is at the Duel Lodge." Fuuya explained.

“Well let’s get your stuff, Fuuya, and I’ll treat you both to lunch,” Droite said, getting in and buckling up. The man smiled.

“Thank you.”

Fuuya grinned.

"Sure! Thank you Droite!" He said happily, buckling up in the back next to Yamikawa. He leaned against him slightly just because he could now. There were no prisoners who would judge him and beat him up.

“…” Droite glanced back at them and started driving, remembering back when it was her and Fuuya’s mother cuddling in a taxi cab. She shook her head and smiled, heading to pick Fuuya’s stuff up.

Fuuya got out of the car once they stopped and got his stuff out of the safety deposit box. He didn't have much. Just a few changes of clothes, including his Robin outfit and its accessories, and a few little things that were special to him. One of them was a bracelet that his mom wore as Galaxy Queen.

"Okay...that's it." He said, softly.

Yamikawa was quiet. All he did was place a comforting hand on Fuuya’s shoulder.

“I’ll help you guys back on your feet,” Droite said, glancing at the bracelet and then at Fuuya. “I promise…”

Fuuya was grateful for the support from Kawa, smiling at him slightly before turning to Droite.

"Thank you, Droite." He said, smiling a bit wider.

“Let’s get that food, okay? And we can talk.” She smiled.

"Yeah sounds good." Fuuya said, making sure the bag was zipped up before slinging it on his shoulder and making his way back to the car.

-x-

Vector and Takashi had both been working on their project and job respectively, and Vector had decided he had spent enough time in front of a screen.  He should go out somewhere...and, ideally, take Takashi with him.  He wanted to treasure whatever time he had left with his boyfriend after all.  

“Hey...”  Vector said, coming out of the bedroom where he'd been working on his model and relaxing and entering the living room where Takashi was watching television.  He plopped on the couch and cuddled up against Takashi.

“I'm bored of staying inside...can we go out somewhere?  Maybe for a walk and a bite?”  He asked softly with a small smile.

Takashi looked up and smiled, looking at Vector.  He put an arm around him and kissed his head.

“That sounds like a good idea, but are you sure? You have enough strength?"

Vector smiled, snuggling against Takashi as the other kissed him and wrapped his arm around him.  

“Yeah...I do.  I've been resting a lot, so I'm fine.  Come on...let's go.”  Vector said with a smile.

Takashi smiled back. “Let me get my coat then and let’s go. We could go to the park nearby. That would be nice.”

“Yeah it would.  I'll get my coat too.”  Vector said, getting up so that Takashi could as well, getting ready to go.

“But it'll be nicest to spend time with you...”  Vector cooed, hugging Takashi once he was dressed.

Takashi gave a small chuckle. “You’re especially affectionate today, you know?” The man said, not minding at all as he opened the door. With a deep breath and making sure things were in his pockets, he slowly walked with his partner.

Vector grinned.

"I am because I want to be." He cooed, holding Takashi's hand as they walked. It was a beautiful day and Vector intended to enjoy it with Takashi.

“Heh,” Takashi squeezed it back and he looked around. “Mmm… It’s a weekday too, so we’ll practically have the entire park to ourselves."

"Yeah. That'll be good." Vector said. He wasn't really in disguise today, given his inability to fake his voice. There wouldn't be any problems though, he figured.

There were a few people walking, though it was mostly older retired couples or parents with young kids who weren't in school yet. But, unbeknownst to Vector and Takashi, today Thomas and Matsuda were also in the park, taking a stroll in a similar fashion. They both had days off today and had decided to spent it in each other's company.

"It's a nice day for a walk." Mist noted to Thomas as they followed the paths through the park.

Takashi squeezed his hand and walked with him, just enjoying the day. He figured that he wouldn’t have any problems, not knowing who else was there.

“Mmm… Glad you managed to get time off for once,” Thomas smirked, idly swinging their joint hands.

Vector was happy, squeezing Takashi's hand back and smiling at his love.

"Let's follow one of these paths." Vector suggested. There were a few more isolated trails cutting through the park where it would be nice to walk.

"I could say the same to you...I hardly see commercials without you modelling in them nowadays!" Mist mused with a chuckle, letting Thomas swing their hands a bit.

“Sounds like a plan,” Takashi hummed, letting Vector take them.

“Yeah, but since I’m a pretty background character, I can get off pretty easily. I’m starting to get more background jobs. I’m getting older.” Thomas said, stretching with his free hand.

Vector smiled, leading Takashi down the trail, not knowing that Mist and Thomas were approaching on the same path from the opposite direction.

"That may be so, but if it were up to me, I'd still put you in front. You're still gorgeous." Mist said with a smirk.

“Hah. Yeah yeah. I’ve heard you say that before,” Thomas laughed, punching Mist’s shoulder.

Takashi looked up vaguely and frowned. “Hey… Is that… Mist and Thomas?”

Vector glanced up as well, stopping for a moment as he realized that yes, it was.  Why the fuck did he always run into these two in a park?

“...Yeah...it's them...” He said softly.

“Why does that solicit a punch!?  It's a compliment, isn't it?”  Mist said with a laugh, momentarily taking his eyes off Thomas and spotting Takashi and Vector.

“Well, what do you know...Takashi and Pheccy are out for a walk too.”  Mist mused, eyes lingering mostly on Vector because of how he looked. Firstly, he wasn't wearing his female disguise, which was surprising to Mist.  And secondly, although Vector did look better than he had when he was lying in bed, he still looked a bit sickly.  He was a bit pale for someone of perfect health.  

“Yeah, yeah.” The man gave laugh before he stopped. He looked forward and raised his eyebrows. He kept in contact with Takashi still, so he knew how Vector had been fairing. It was surprising to see him out.

“Hey there,” Takashi waved at Thomas and Mist. To talk or to ignore? He wasn’t sure what Vector wanted.

Vector wasn't sure what he wanted at the moment.  Part of him was still afraid of Mist, but another part of him was determined to not let Mist or anyone else ruin his time with Takashi.  So what if Mist and Thomas were out walking?  It'd be fine...they'd just chat for awhile and then go on their way. Nothing bad would happen...

“Hey yourself.”  Mist said giving Takashi a nod, before turning his gaze back to Vector.  Vector stared back, trying to figure out what Mist would do.  Why was he staring at him so much?

“...Glad to see you're looking better than when I last saw you.”  He said at last with a small smile.  Vector blinked.

“...Yeah.  I feel better, thanks...”  He replied.

Takashi gave Vector’s hand a squeeze, able to feel how nervous his partner was through the small tremblings of his hand. He smiled politely at Mist and looked at Thomas.

“So what are you guys doing here?”

“Got time off work,” Thomas replied, “Just relaxing. Same as you?”

“Yeah. Thought some fresh air would be good for us both.”

Mist gave a smile to Takashi too when he was smiled at.  Vector gave his partner's hand a squeeze back, mostly to show that he was mostly okay.

“It's a nice day for a walk...Thomas and I also planned to have some food.  Why don't you two join us?  Then we can all catch up.”  Mist offered. Vector was a bit surprised at this turn of events, not sure what to expect.  Before he could stop himself, his mouth was opening.

“What's the catch?”  He blurted out, his own suspicions momentarily being revealed.  The last time they'd gone out to eat as a group, Mist had gone after him.  He didn't want that again.

“No catch...I wanna know how you're doing, Pheccy, since you're sick and all.”  Mist said.

“…” Takashi looked at Vector. Again, it was his decision. He looked at Thomas who looked awkwardly back at him. Vector could take the offer or leave it

Vector debated the offer. On one hand, Mist was paying for his treatments. It was a huge help for him...and secondly, he supposed a possible reason as to why Mist was so pushy on this was because he wanted to make amends before Vector died.

"Do you want to? It doesn't matter to me." Vector asked Takashi. Then again, if Takashi said no, because he just wanted some alone time with him, then they shouldn't go.

“…. I don’t mind, really.” Takashi shrugged. He did want to spend some time with Thomas because he had neglected his other friends, but he didn’t want to make Vector upset.

Vector nodded, smiling at Takashi and squeezing his hand firmly to show that he was okay.

"Well, there you have it. Where do you suggest we eat?" Vector asked. Mist smiled and shrugged.

"I'm down for anything...any preference, Thomas? There's a few restaurants around the park.”

“I’m up for Malay or Chinese. I have a penchant for the Char kway teow in that small Hawker Centre place,” Thomas said.

“That sounds alright."

"Sounds good to me. Let's go." Vector said with a small smile. Still holding Takashi's hand, he approached the other couple.

“… So what have you all been up to?” Takashi asked.

“Work. Lazing. The usual."

"That's essentially all we've done too. That, and treatments." Vector said softly. Mist nodded.

"How are they going?" He asked. Vector hesitated a moment before answering mostly out of nervousness.

"They're okay...none of them are getting easier....but they seem to be working so far. I'll have more checks later."

“Treatments…” Thomas smiled. “Well. It’s good so far then if you’re out and about."

Vector smiled and nodded.

“Really, the worst of it is during the treatments and a week or so after when I can't keep food down. But, I'm fine most of the time.  I haven't been pushing myself too hard either...Takashi here wouldn't let me.”  Vector said, smirking at Takashi and squeezing his hand.

“Takashi being protective as always, heh?” Thomas chuckled. Takashi rolled his eyes but he laughed too.

“I just don’t want him pushing himself. Vector is always like ‘go hard or go home’ so I have to make sure he knows his limits. Or at least remind him he has those.”

Mist snorted at that comment.

“Good luck with that one. He's always been that way...but believe me, he's calmed down since he settled with you.”  Mist smirked.  Vector groaned a bit as he recalled that Mist did indeed know him longer than anyone else here.  Of course he remembered the wildness of his youth, and unfortunately, Mist had seen a lot of it too.  

“...You seem calmer now too. Or, maybe you have a secret wild life we don't know about.”  Vector said simply.  Mist shook his head, sobering up quickly.  

“Nope.  Nothing too exciting anymore...just work and Thomas. That's enough for me.”  Mist said with a shrug.

“Yeah… I tell him that a lot,” Takashi chuckled, not really bothered by Mist’s knowledge of his boyfriend. “But we’re getting older. Parties are fun but nothing really stupid anymore.”

“Not that it was ever your thing,” Thomas said, remembering the things Takashi had told him about his past. He chuckled, hearing what Vector had to say. “That’s what I said when I noticed, but he keeps playing it off as nothing has changed,” Thomas smirked, looking up at him.

“It's you rubbing off on me, that's all.  From what your buddies tell me, you were never wild like I was.”  Vector mused, smiling at Takashi and squeezing his hand, which he still held.  He snorted at Thomas.  

“I don't blame you...Mist calling me wild is like the pot calling the kettle black.”  Vector said.  Mist rolled his eyes.  

“Even so, I'm allowed to change, and I have, thanks to this guy right here.”  He replied, smirking back at Thomas.  

Thomas rolled his eyes. “Now that’s sounding really corny, you know that. I mean, obviously it’s cause of me, heh?” He laughed and Takashi joined in as well.

Takashi was a bit surprised. This was going… civilly.

Mist and Vector snorted too. Vector was also surprised at how things were going...the more he talked, the less afraid of Mist he was.  But, maybe that was also because he wasn't alone with him.  Thomas and Takashi were there to help him.  

“Well, we found the restaurant...”  Mist noted, leading the group into the building to get a table for four.

“Yes, because it was lost before,” Thomas joked as he sat down. Takashi had seen this place but he hadnt eaten here before. So they were more or less in for a surprise.

Vector chuckled, sitting down next to Takashi.  He hadn't been here before either, so he was definitely going to be surprised.  

“Have you guys been here before?”  He asked, wondering what was good here as he looked at the menu.

“Yeah, but not for awhile...Thomas goes to it more than I do.”  Mist mused.

“I used to try go get jobs at restaurants for free food. I did a lot of mooching before modelling.” Thomas laughed. “Now I can’t eat whatever crap I want. Gotta keep my girlish figure, heh?” Thomas winked, making an exaggerated expression and making Takashi laugh.

Vector sniggered.  

“No wonder you and Mist get along so well...you're both former moochers.”  Vector joked.  Mist groaned.

“Birds of a feather flock together huh?”  He mused, looping an arm around Thomas with a smirk.

“Hah. I guess so. Like you two are opposites attract, and we’re birds.” Thomas chuckled.

“Yeah, I guess so...but still, we do have some common points.  Maybe it's a just enough to get by sort of thing.”  Vector said, smiling at Takashi.  

“Yeah… I guess so,” Takashi said, after he finished ordering food

Vector ordered along with the others and smiled.

"How're your brothers, Thomas?" Vector asked, mostly for conversation's sake.

“Hm? Miheal is okay. Doing well. He’s blabbering on about archeology and psychology… nothing new on that front. Chris is finally making some real progress on his work though. I haven’t seen either of them in a while,” Thomas shrugged.

“What about you guys? How’s the family?”

Vector shrugged.

"Uncle's still working hard and shit...but he's also as negative as usual at times, especially when he remembers that I'm sick. I worry about him" Vector said with a small sigh.

"My Neo Domino family are okay too. I don't know if Takashi's been in contact with his mom or not." He said glancing at Takashi, before smirking.

"And Umbral is Umbral." He mused. Mist raised an eyebrow.

"Umbral?"

"Our new kitten. We adopted him recently." Vector filled him in. Mist smirked.

"Sounds like fun....must be cute." Mist mused. Vector shrugged, pulling out his phone and pulling up a picture to show the other two.

"You tell me." He said.

Takashi rolled his eyes. “Mum is fine… She’s not pressing about marriage with Vector anymore, or grandkids, since she knows now ‘Ena-chan’ is male.”

“Heh? Didn’t see you two as the cat types. Don’t you have a kitty friend already, Takashi?”

“Cat-chan? I guess…”

“Ey… cute cat.”

Vector sighed.

"Thank god..." Vector murmured, not bothering to ask if Takashi had told his mom about his illness or not. That was up to him, Vector figured.

"Sounds like she was pressuring...luckily Thomas and I don't have that sort of pressure." Mist mused. He chuckled and Vector snorted at the cat type.

"If we're going by that, then we have two cat friends...Cathy and Yuuma." Vector joked.

"Yeah he's cute. Where'd you get him?" Mist asked. Vector put away his phone.

"Off the street...he followed me home and we took him in."

He did. It was a long conversation that Takashi had while Vector slept, that involved a lot of yelling on his mother’s end.

“My dad knows my brothers and I are all bloody homos. He just doesn’t care anymore.” Thomas said, tossing his hands up.

“Yeah… Vector likes making comparisons between me and the cat.” Takashi mused.

Vector chuckled at that, but his mind also drifted to his own dad and felt a small stab of guilt.

"Really? Is the cat like Takashi then?" Mist mused. Vector was slightly snapped out of it when Mist spoke.

"Well...he doesn't leave me alone much. He's very attached to me for some reason or other, like Takashi." Vector replied, being reminded of Mist too when he spoke. But, things seemed different now...maybe.

“That’s it though. I don’t go bother you when I want attention,” Takashi laughed, nudging his partner.

“Cats are like people. You hate kids, Mist. Maybe we should get a pet so I can dote on them.” Thomas said.

Vector chuckled, smiling at Takashi.

"No, you're not the attention grabber Umbral is. But you are also cute like he is, so I wouldn't mind." Vector cooed, kissing Takashi's cheek gently. Mist rolled his eyes.

"I would never have brats...but sure, honey. We'll get a goldfish on the way home. Dote on it all you want!" Mist joked with a chuckle.

Thomas made a face. “You guys are so cheesy, good grief.” He laughed though, Thomas clearly in good spirits. Takashi gave a smile as Vector kissed him and squeezed his hand.

“Oh shut up,” Thomas laughed, shoving Mist’s shoulder.

Mist rolled his eyes.

"Pheccy still doesn't care about PDA I see." Mist chuckled, not really caring. Vector smiled at Takashi, squeezing his hand before responding to Thomas' comment.

"I guess Takashi, King of Cheesy, is rubbing off on me." He chuckled. Mist laughed along with Thomas as he was shoved. He enjoyed teasing him.

“Vector always wants to be cuddling or something, even in the hospital. He once tried to pull me in with him when I was visiting,” Takashi smiled.

Thomas was glad he had Mist around and behaving. When the food came, he grinned and they joined in all together.

“Itadakimasu.

As if to prove Takashi's point, Vector leaned a little against Takashi with a small smile.

"I get lonely in the hospital. It's boring and all I do there is sleep or be sick." Vector said.

When food arrived, conversation stopped for a moment because everyone was digging in. Mist recalled he hadn't even gotten to eat last time...so far, this was better. Vector seemed relaxed enough around him and he was glad for that.

"Itadakimasu." The others said before eating.

“You’ll make Takashi sick if you slobber all your sick spit in his mouth,” Thomas laughed.

The lunch was pleasant. Definitely pleasant. Takashi was relieved it was so well so far. He hoped that Vector could have many more good times like this.

Vector was having fun. The food was good, the company was nice, and he was happy.

"Cancer isn't contagious, so I do whatever I want. It's the one little 'redeeming' quality about being sick." Vector mused, before having a brief coughing fit. And there was the worst part of it...he didn't like being interrupted by coughing fits. He took a sip of water to calm himself.

‘Oy… Oy… that was a joke” Thomas frowned. Takashi stopped eating and put his hand on his partner’s back.

“Are you okay?”

Vector nodded as he calmed down. He sat back up and sighed.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said, reassuring Takashi before returning to his food. Mist watched.

"Looks as though those fits happen often huh?" He noted. Vector shrugged.

"Pretty much every day I have a small one. It's not too bad."

“Sometimes several times a day,” Takashi said, not eating. “… Are you sure?” The man mumbled.

Mist frowned a bit in concern at that, but said nothing for the time being.  Vector chose not to comment either, choosing instead to focus on Takashi.  

“It's fine, Takashi...I'm okay.”  He reassured him gently.  He was getting used to the constant coughing, even if it was annoying.

It was concerning still, to be completely honest. Takashi sighed. He knew he shouldn’t be panicking so many times a day, but he still was worried.

Vector took Takashi's hand under the table and squeezed it gently to reassure him.  He wasn't sure what to expect from this cancer...but he had more faith in the cure.  It had helped Kaito, so it would help him too.  It had to...

-x-

Robin was currently at Droite's house, settling in and getting used to being out. Droite had told him to make himself at home, and that was what he was trying to do.

"Maybe I should call someone...Yuuma maybe? It'd be nice to see him again..." He mused. Droite had found his number through Takashi earlier, so Fuuya could call him. He dialled the number hesitantly and waited for the other to pick up.

Yuuma had work later in the afternoon and was currently lazing at home in his PJs. He was just debating on a weird food combination for lunch (since Shark wasn’t home to be grossed out) when he heard the phone.

“Hello?” he called.

Robin smiled when he heard his friend from prison.  

“Yuuma...it's Robin. I'm out of prison now...”  He said.

Yuuma sat up and his eyes widened. “Oh my… Robin! Ahhh! That’s great to hear! When did you get out? Where are ya? Good to hear from you, buddy."

Fuuya smiled as Yuuma spoke so excitedly. He was so happy to hear that he seemed to be doing better.

"It's nice to hear from you too! I got out a couple days ago along with Yamikawa...he went back to Rokujuro to continue his training and work to earn his forgiveness. I'm staying with Officer Droite...she helped us both get out." Fuuya explained.

"Are you free today to meet somewhere? I haven't been out much and need to re-familiarize myself with Heartland."

“Ah! No wonder I haven’t heard from you. That place is far, right? Ah… Sorry I never contacted you in prison,” Yuuma said, apologetically.

At the mention of the officer, Yuuma’s eyes widened. He remembered Droite and how harsh she was when she found out he was Cat-chan. “Her? Seriously?”

“Well… if she hasn’t, I will! Where you wanna meet?"

"It's alright Yuuma. I'm just glad to hear that you're doing alright. Shark would always be happy to share news about you with us." Fuuya said.

"Yeah...she knew my mother and wanted to help." Fuuya said, before smiling.

"There's a park not too far from here...did you want to meet there?" He asked.

Yuuma nodded, making a note to talk more about all this stuff as soon as they met up.

“Sure. What park is it? I dunno where Droite lives, so where’s the closest?"

"It's called Heartland Park I think...there's lots of trails and a playground." Fuuya noted.

“Heartland Central Park? Oh yeah, I know the place. I’ll meet you there, okay? See ya in like… twenty minutes!” Yuma grinned, already looking for pants to start the day.

Fuuya grinned.

“Okay Yuuma!  I will see you there!”  He said, before hanging up and getting ready to go out.  He wore his hair down in its natural style, just because he could, and a long sleeved sweater that hid his DS tattoo and any remaining scars from prison.  He looked like a normal enough person, he supposed. He smiled a bit as he headed out, making his way to the park so he could meet Yuuma.

Meanwhile, Gilag had a day off of work, and couldn't help but notice that Ponta was sulking a bit.  The boy was obviously still upset about Haruto not being awake and worried about him.  Gilag decided he should do something about that.  He entered his youngest brother's room to meet the boy.

“Hey, Ponta...I'm off work today.  How about we go to the park?  You could show me some of your new skateboard tricks, and we'll get some ice cream.  My treat.”  Gilag offered.

Yuma managed to trip over the couch, bump into the closet, bump into the door and get his shirt the wrong way round all in the time it took for Ponta to finish breakfast. Ponta was still at home, worrying endlessly about his best friend as he looked at the fairytales Haruto liked.

“Hmmm?” Ponta looked up. “Oh… That sounds fun, pon.” He said, smiling. “… I don’t have many new ones though..."

Gilag smiled back.  

“You can show me the new ones and the old ones...I haven't seen you practice in awhile.  Grab your board and let's go.”  Gilag said,  glad he had convinced Ponta to stop moping.  He had to remember to have fun.  

“Alright,” Ponta smiled and grabbed his skateboard. He felt bad he couldn’t show Haruto new moves, but he was glad Gilag was here. He headed for Heartland Central Park, quiet as he walked.

Gilag led Ponta over to the park, glad he could be there for his brother to make him happier.  

“Alright buddy, where should we go to skateboard?”  Gilag asked, letting Ponta look around so he could pick the place.

Fuuya had arrived at the park as well, wandering around the same general area, taking things in.  He liked the wide open space and fresh air that the park offered.  He had missed this sort of thing in prison.  He watched mothers walking with their kids, quickly spotting an anomaly he recognized in the distance.  Was that large man...Gilag?  Fuuya smiled as he quickly realized it was, but he didn't call out to him, because he was with another smaller child.  Fuuya thought he looked a little familiar too, but he couldn't put his finger on where he'd seen him before.  

“Hmm… That path looks good…” Ponta grinned, putting his board down and looking around, making sure no one was going to bump into him before he hopped on. “Watch this!” He exclaimed as he began to shred some serious road.

“Oy! Fuuya! Over here!” Yuuma yelled, running up behind Fuuya.

“I'm watching!”  Gilag said, keeping his eye on his brother.  He smiled as he watched Ponta go, following him more slowly.  He noted that there were a couple of figures ahead on the path...one of them was Yuuma, he noted.  That was a nice surprise!  But the other seemed familiar too...at the moment his back was turned, so Gilag couldn't tell who it was.

“Yuuma!  Hi!”  Fuuya said, turning to face his friend with a smile. Yuuma looked a lot better than when he'd seen him last.  He was a healthy weight, his hair had pretty much grown back, and he was evidently happier.

Yuuma gave a large grin, glad to see Fuuya. He was essentially the same as he remembered, save for his hair which was now to the side instead of spiky.

“What’s up, Fuuya?” Yuuma grinned, giving the smaller man a bear hug. “Long time no see."

Fuuya smiled and accepted the bear hug, chuckling a bit.

“Indeed!  It's great to see my comrade and dear friend again after so long!”  He said, accidentally slipping into Robin's voice for a moment despite himself.  He didn't notice that there was a child on a skateboard nearby and within earshot who was a fan of his show.

“Hahaha. You’re same as ever, man,” Yuuma grinned, looking at his friend. He also didn’t hear Ponta until the kid skidded to a stop and looked. He recognised Yuuma, but the man with him.

“Woah? ESPer Robin?"

Fuuya smiled and was about to reply when he heard his character's name.  He turned to look at Ponta, a bit surprised that he had already been recognized.  He'd been part-way expecting it...but most of him had figured that the show had been off air for too long for most people to recognize him.  He quickly shushed the boy.

“Don't speak my name so casually...I'm undercover on a mission to hunt down the servants of Emperor Death Max.”  Robin spoke softly with a small smile to the boy.

“Oh! Oh!” Ponta made the ‘shush’ gesture. “Sorry… Sorry! It’s just… you! You know him, Yuuma—san?”

“Yeah!”

Fuuya smiled.  This boy was easy to deal with.  Some fans were much louder.  

“Just call me, 'Fuuya', okay? What's your name?”  He asked, before blinking.

“And you know Yuuma?”  

“I’m Ponta! Nice to meet you… Fuuya,” Ponta smiled. He nodded and gave Yuuma a hug. Yuuma laughed.

“This is Gilag’s little brother. You know, the kid they found in the prison rubble? Yeah. That’s how I know him. Is Gilag here, Ponta?”

“Yeah, pon! Over there!”

Fuuya smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Ponta." He said, before listening to Yuuma. His eyes widened.

"I had heard about that...this is him? Wow." He said, looking back at Ponta, then at Gilag.

Now that Robin was looking at him, Gilag could see who he was and recognized him. He was surprised to see him out.

"Robin, is that you?" He asked, coming over.

“Shhhh! Gilag! He’s undercover!” Ponta scowled, shushing his guardian. “He’s Fuuya out here.”

“Yeah Gilag,” Yuuma teased.

Gilag blinked in astonishment at Ponta as Fuuya tried not to laugh.

"Oops...thanks, big guy. I'd hate to blow his cover." He said, playing along with a smile, ruffling Ponta's hair.

"I didn't expect to see you out here...when did you get here?" Gilag asked. Fuuya smiled.

"Just a few days ago, actually. Yuuma offered to meet me in the park, but I didn't expect to see you too. This is nice." He said with a smile.

“Yeah… it’s been a while since I’ve seen you too. How are you Gilag? And Ponta? How’s Haruto?” Yuuma asked, forgetting that he was in hospital. Ponta’s face dropped at the careless mention and he shrugged.

“… He’s… okay..."

Gilag smiled initially at Yuuma's questions, but cringed a bit as Haruto was brought up.

"I'm doing alright...I'm off work today so I decided I would take Ponta out for ice cream." He said, patting Ponta's head as his face fell.

"Haruto's in hospital Yuuma...we haven't heard much more than that." Gilag said. Fuuya gave them both a look of sympathy.

“Oh… Sorry…” Yuuma frowned. He knelt down to Ponta’s level and closed his eyes, thinking. “Well… He’ll get better, Ponta. And in the meantime, we can get him a special present.”

Fuuya smiled and nodded.

"Does your friend like watching my adventures?" He asked, having an idea on what might be a nice present.

“Well… I was thinking we could record you on Robin’s mission… and get Haruto something nice. You know. A get well entertaining video.”  Yuuma said.

Fuuya smiled.  

“I'd be grateful if you could help.”  He said. It might be fun to shoot another 'episode' of ESPer Robin here in the park.

Or at least a pretend one anyway.

“Ohh! So what are we doing, Pon? How are you here undercover? What are you doing?” Ponta squealed

Gilag looked on in interest as Robin knelt down to explain the 'mission' to Ponta.

“I came to answer the call of Yuuma, who asked me to help rescue his boyfriend from Dead Max. Kamishiro Ryouga has been put under a spell...my mission is to rescue him.  Will you help?”  Robin asked Ponta.  

Yuuma had the video recording as soon as Robin knelt down. He hid his laugh as he nodded, wondering if he could go get his boyfriend off from work.

“Oh yes yes yes! I will! I will!"

Gilag watched from behind Yuuma, amazed.  Ponta seemed so excited and Robin was so confident and calm...it was hard to tell that this was improvised.  He was happy that Ponta was feeling better.

“Excellent!  I dub you an honorary Ally of Justice!”  Robin declared confidently.  

“The first part of the mission is to lure Kamishiro-san to the park, where we can break the spell! Yuuma has to call him...then, we'll have to sneak up on him carefully!  If he senses our intent, he'll retreat back to his fortress of darkness.”  Robin said, before looking at Yuuma.

“Yuuma, go call your boyfriend to meet up in the park...we'll be blending in awaiting his arrival!” Robin declared.  Gilag quickly offered to take the camera so Yuuma could call Shark and tell him to come to the park.

Yuuma traded phones with Gilag so the recording could all be in the same file. Making a dramatic show, he dialled Shark’s number, making ‘shush’ noises to stop Ponta from squealing way too loud

Shark picked up the phone after a couple of rings.  He was just about to go for a lunch break, so it was perfect timing.

“Hey.”  

“Shark! Shark! You’ve got to get to the Heartland Park immediately! I’ve been captured by ESPer Robin and Ponta. You gotta go save me and get me back to Dead Max,” Yuuma said, trying to hide the laugh in his voice.

Shark blinked, clearly confused by the words coming out of his boyfriend's mouth.  

“Wait what? Robin?  Isn't he in prison?”  Shark asked, deciding to lock on the one sane thing that was spewing from his boyfriend's mouth.

“Robin is out from the prison. He’s here. You gotta come over here. Please Shark`” Yuuma said, trying to indicate to Shark he did need to come. Ponta was stifling laughter too, though he wanted to look serious for Haruto.

“Okay...I'll come. Heartland Park right?  Where should I meet you?”  Shark asked, still not sure what was going on, but he figured he didn't have much of a choice in the matter.

“On the path. You’ll see me, Ponta, Gilag and Robin here! Approach carefully! I love you!” Yuuma said cheerily.

“Love you too...see you soon.”  Shark said, before hanging up.  Shark made his way over to the park, after telling Yusei he was taking lunch.  He wasn't sure what to expect.

Robin grinned.  

“He's taken the bait...now we have to select a good hiding place.  Ponta, where's a good spot to hide so we can sneak up on him?”  Robin asked the boy.

“Hmmm! Those bushes seem good! Yumma waits here and then we’ll spring on him!” Ponta exclaimed.

"Sounds good! Let's go wait for them." Robin said, heading over to the bushes. Gilag followed and filmed with a smile.

“Haruto, this plan is gonna be the one we played out last year, remember?” Ponta said to the camera as they headed to the bushes. “But instead of the Galaxy Queen we’re ambushing, it’s Shark. So we have to be ready!"

Robin smiled as Ponta spoke to the camera.

"Sssssh look! He's coming!" Robin said, pointing out Shark as he made his way down the path.

Shark saw Yuuma alone on the path and approached him with a frown.

"Where's Robin? What's this all about?" He asked, confused.

Yuuma dramatically (and very shamelessly) threw himself into Shark’s arms. He made a swooning noise before he leaned up, very close to his partner’s face.

“We’re trying to cheer up Ponta. Play along and kidnap me."

Shark was a bit startled when Yuuma threw himself into his arms, catching him hastily and hearing the small whisper Yuuma gave him as an explanation.

"At last I've got you! I'm going to take you away where nobody will ever see you again!" Shark declared loudly, starting to bring Yuuma away with an evil looking smirk.

Robin frowned.

"Looks like the spell is more potent than I thought....there's only one thing to do that will save them both. Ponta, I'll draw Shark's attention, and then you have to embrace him. Do it with a pure heart...its the only way to break the spell! Can you do that?" Robin asked the boy.

Yuuma could tell how embarrassed and disgruntled Shark was, but he was glad he was giving a villainous smirk and and playing along. He pretended to wave for help, just as Ponta looked frantically to Robin.

“Of course! Will you say that thing you always say to get his attention?”

Shark was begrudgingly playing along. Yuuma owed him huge for this.

Robin grinned.

"Of course! Just watch me commence the Banquet of Justice!" Robin said, quickly styling his hair up like Robin and then jumping out to meet Shark.

“To save the people of the world...today is also a banquet of justice!  I, Different Dimensional ESPer Robin, have crossed from another dimension to stop you, servant of Dead Max! Release my Ally of Justice immediately, or face the wrath of the Banquet of Justice!" Robin declared.  Shark was surprised at Fuuya's appearance, but he quickly caught on to the little 'game'.  

“Never!  He's mine, Robin!”  He growled, holding Yuuma closer to him.  He did secretly enjoy this close contact.

Yuuma knew he was going to be bottoming for ages for this stunt, but for Ponta and Haruto’s sake, it was totally ready.

“So cool!” Ponta exclaimed as he watched Robin jump out. He grinned madly as he did the line and he then crept out of the bushes, sneaking around to give a back hug attack!

Gilag was still filming as Ponta jumped on Sharks back with a hug attack. Shark cried out in false alarm, releasing Yuuma.

"Ponta, my Ally of Justice, releases you from Dead Max!" Robin declared.

"No!" Shark cried.

Yuuma stifled laughter, pleasantly surprised that his boyfriend was such a good performer. Ponta hugged Shark as tight as he could, looking oh so serious about the whole thing.

Gilag was trying not to laugh too as the watched the whole thing, capturing it on film.

“Cure you, ESPer Robin! I'll get you back for this!” Shark cried, before sinking to his knees as if he was defeated.  Robin grinned.

“He's been saved!  Well done, Ponta!”  Robin exclaimed.  Shark pretended to look confused.

“What just happened?”  

“You were cursed by Dead Max, Shark, but Robin and Ponta saved you!”  Yuuma said, hugging his boyfriend, hiding his face in Shark's shoulder to laugh.  Shark had really loosened up over the years, it seemed, and as far as Yuuma was concerned, he was going to tease Shark about this relentlessly later.

“Yay!  We did it!  We did it pon!”  Ponta cheered.  “And that's thanks to you too Haruto!  We saved him thanks to you!”  Ponta said to the camera.

Shark raised a brow at that, still not completely understanding the whole situation.  But he accepted Yuuma's hug and he could feel how Yuuma was laughing softly.

“You owe me huge for this, idiot.”  Shark muttered softly without venom, too quietly for the camera to hear.  

“Yes, neither of us could have done this without help from all our allies of Justice!”  Robin declared with a grin.  Gilag smiled happily as Ponta addressed the camera, before stopping the film.  

“That's a wrap!  Great job Ponta!  I'm sure Haruto will love it.”  He said with a chuckle.

“I hope you wreck me for this,”  Yuuma teased softly back.  Ponta cheered and hugged Gilag, then Robin.

“Thank you!”  

“Oh I will.”  Shark mused, nipping Yuuma's ear playfully.  

Robin smiled and accepted the hug happily.

“You're welcome Ponta! That was fun!”  He said.  

“We'll get this video to Haruto soon.”  Gilag promised.

Yuuma blushed.

“Not in public!  There are kids!”  He laughed.

Shark chuckled, easing off.

“I know...I just couldn't resist a little nibble.”  He mused. Robin turned their way and chuckled.

“Thanks for playing along Shark.  It's been awhile since I've seen you.”  He said. Gilag leaned over to Ponta to show him the footage and let him squeal over it all over again.

Ponta looked over the footage in amazement, grinning excitedly as he watched.  He was quiet, letting the adults talk.

“Yeah Shark...sorry I had to pull you out here on your lunch break.”  Yuuma said.

Gilag watched along with Ponta, happy to see how Ponta was pleased by it.

“I'm sure Haruto will love this...we'll get it to him as soon as possible.”  Gilag said.

Shark shrugged.

“It's fine...it's nice to see you too Robin.  When'd you get out?”  

“A couple days ago!  I decided to call Yuuma up so I could re-familiarize myself with the city.  Then this happened...it was fun though, and worth it to cheer up Ponta.”  Fuuya said with a smile.

“Yeah!”  Ponta cheered.

“We just kinda met Gilag and Ponta here so this whole thing was whipped up on the spot.  Sorry about that Shark.”  Yuuma laughed.

Gilag smiled.

“Now how about that ice cream, buddy?  We can still get it if you want.”  He offered.

Shark sighed.

“I still don't know why the hell I allow you to drag me into these things.”  He mused.  Fuuya chuckled.

“If this happens again, we'll try to give you more warning!”  Robin promised.

“Really?  That sounds great!  Thank you Gilag...oh!”  Ponta said, before turning around to bow towards Robin.  

“Thank you so much! Haruto will be so happy!”  He smiled.  

Robin turned to Ponta when he approached him and smiled.

“My pleasure, Ponta!  I hope your friend gets better soon, okay?” He said.

“Alright!  I hope so too!  Come on Gilag!  Our work here is done!”  Ponta declared.

“Alright, we'll go! Thanks again Robin...we'll catch up some other time.”  Gilag promised, before heading out with an overly excited Ponta.  

Fuuya smiled and waved, before glancing back at Yuuma and Shark.

“So, what should we do?” He asked.  

“I still need to eat before going back to work.”  Shark said.

“Lunch between old prison buddies it is!”  Yuuma cheered, just as if it were a high school reunion.  “You pick a place to eat, Fuuya!”

Shark rolled his eyes at Yuuma's over-enthusiasm.  Fuuya smiled.

“That sounds good...but I have no idea what's around here anymore.  I didn't go out to eat often even before prison.  Maybe we can just look around at what's nearby?”  He suggested.

“Hm? Sure. We’ll do a quick run around. Shark can lead… since I’m dumb with directions,” Yuuma laughed.

Shark snorted.

"If you led, none of us would ever be found again." He joked. Fuuya chuckled, following Shark and Yuuma.

“Okay I’m bad, not that bad,” Yuuma laughed, slinging a strong arm around both Shark and Fuuya as they walked.

Fuuya chuckled, happy to be with his two prison friends...next time, he'd have to bring Yamikawa along.  Maybe next time he came down from Rokujuro's, he could call Yuuma and Shark again.  

-x-

It had been several days since Haruto had passed out and underwent surgery, and he was finally waking up slowly.  But something was wrong, he could tell.  He felt very numb, as if he was drugged.  That was confusing...where was he anyway?  

Haruto shifted in the bed, but moving wasn't really comfortable, so he quickly gave that up. Was he alone?  He opened his eyes slowly to spot a familiar figure...his brother, sitting next to him.  

“...Nii-san...?”  He managed to say softly, his words largely muffled by the oxygen mask he wore.

It was like the same nightmare loved to be repeated for him and just for him. He had been by this bedside, waiting for his brother to call him, to wake up and say he was okay. This time, he was out for longer though, and Kaito was worried that one day, there wouldn’t be someone to call him out from his blank mind.

That wasn’t today though.

“Haruto…” He looked up and smiled tiredly before he leaned over and held his brother’s small, pale hand. “… You’re awake. I’m glad…”

Haruto blinked slowly as his brother took his hand.  He could see how worried his brother had been, but he had forgotten what had happened to cause him to be in this state.  

“...What happened...?” He asked softly, not able to voice much more than that.

“You weren’t well… You collapsed down the stairs. It was… like before…’ Kaito murmured softly, trying to look at his brother more with his hands, since his eyes were still fading.

“...before...”  Haruto said, trying to remember what his brother was referring to, but his mind wasn't able to picture it at the moment.  He could feel how his brother was holding him, and it was familiar, but he couldn't remember exactly why Kaito was doing that.  Maybe he just missed him...

“Did I break anything?” Haruto asked, concluding that if he fell down the stairs as Kaito said, he must have broken something.  Maybe he'd hit his head and that was why he had trouble remembering things.

“You hit your head on the stairs… it was a contributing factor to what happened…” Kaito said, instantly reliving painful memories. His grip tightened on Haruto

Haruto managed to squeeze his brother's hand back gently.

“Sorry Nii-san...I didn't mean to worry you...”  He said softly.

“No.. It’s okay… I’m sorry. I should have been watching you better..."

"Yeah...it's okay Nii-san...I'll get better soon..." Haruto promised softly.

“Don’t focus about getting better soon. Just take all the time you need, okay?"

"...But I wanna go play...as soon as I can..." Haruto said softly with a small frown.

“Hey… You’ll have lots of time to play when you get better,” Kaito said, sitting down. He gently stroked Haruto’s hair, shaking slightly as he did so. “You’re going to have so many bright years ahead of you to do what you want… but you have to get better first… No matter how long it takes, okay?"

Haruto pouted the slightest bit, but he sighed softly, having enough sense to realize that his brother was right.

"Can Ponta come visit me...while I recover here?" Haruto asked. At least that way he could have fun in hospital.

Kaito was glad to hear Haruto still had his spark in him. It was reassuring to hear the cheerful tone, even with how soft it was.

“When the doctors say you can, okay? I need to tell them you’re awake first."

"Okay...I hope he can come soon...he's probably worried..." Haruto said, feeling a bit guilty for worrying everyone, so he was determined to get better quickly.

“It’s okay… I’ll tell him you’ve woken up at least…”

"Okay...thanks Nii-san. You should rest too...I'm awake, so I'm okay..." Haruto said, noting how tired his brother looked too.

“I'll rest better now I know you’re waking up again…” Kaito murmured, ruffling his brother’s hair lightly.

Haruto smiled.

"I'm glad, Nii-san." He said softly.

-x-

Astral had been doing nothing but rest in relative agony while his face healed from his tattoos. He'd remained indoors while letting Yuuto and the others take care of his identification affairs, and waited as patiently as he could for the day when he'd be allowed to leave freely as he pleased.  

Today could be that day...Yuuto was going to check his face and give him his fake ID.  Then, maybe he'd go out to see the world again...maybe find out where Kaito was.  Astral made his way to Yuuto's little workshop / office for his little checkup, smiling in anticipation.

Yuuto wasn’t back from whatever midnight raid he was up to, but Yuuya was there, humming a cheery tune as he cleaned up his brother’s workspace. He turned around when he heard Astral’s footsteps and he smiled.

“Hey, catch.” He grinned, tossing an envelope to Astral.

“Ah, Yuuya.”  Astral started, surprised to find Yuuto's sibling instead of Yuuto around.  He blinked as he was tossed an envelope, catching it and opening it.  He saw various forms of ID inside, all with his new fake name and appearance put on.  He smiled.

“Wow...so, with these, does that mean I can go out now?”  Astral asked, almost unable to believe it.

Yuuya smiled. “Yep. Everything’s settled in so you can leave if you want, or just go outside and stay with us a bit longer. It’s all good,” He put his broom aside. “Congrats, Astral!"

Astral smiled happily.

“Thank you...I don't think I'll be moving out just yet, if that is okay.  But...I definitely want to go outside...I just hope I remember my way around.  It's been awhile since I went outside.”  Astral noted, not wanting to get lost.

“That’s alright. I don’t mind,” Yuuya smiled. “Well, why don’t I come out with you? Or Yami, if you’re comfortable with him. We both know the streets well."

“Ah...well, no offense to Yami, but I'd rather you come instead of him.”  Astral said with a small smile.

“Heh! Okay then! Let’s go. What did you choose your new name to be again?” Yuya asked

“Kibou.  That is the name I chose.”  Astral said, nodding eagerly at the idea to head out now.  He was very excited to explore.

“Hahaha! Your name is Hope, so you just changed it to Japanese. That’s clever,” Yuuya grinned. He put his things away and grabbed his wallet. “Where do you feel like going?"

Astral nodded.  

“It was the simplest thing I could think of.”  He said with a smile.  He shrugged.

“Anywhere really...I have not been out for some time.”  

“Alright then… Let’s walk around the lower markets first and then work our way up to more populated areas then,” Yuuya smiled. “You look good. I thought tattoos on your face would make you stand out more but it works with you."

“Okay...sounds good.” Astral said.  He wasn't sure if he was ready to face Kaito yet...or any other people he knew.  They wouldn't be in the lower markets, that he knew.  He smiled.

“I'm glad you think so...I wonder what my friends will think.”  And what Kaito would think...if he could see his face now...  “I am sure they would be shocked!”  Astral said with a small chuckle.

Yuuya smiled. “So not hurting anymore?” He asked as he lead him out.

“For the most part, no, it does not hurt.  I am glad.” Astral said with a smile.  He sighed happily as he stepped outside to breathe in some nice fresh air.  He hadn't been outside since he arrived here.

“So what do you plan to do now you have all your stuff?” Yuuya asked, walking with Astral down the road.

“Well, eventually, I'd like to see Kaito again...and depending on whether it's safe or not, I could stay with him.”  Astral said, looking around with a smile.

“Tell me about Officer Tenjo. You always are talking about him but you never really went into detail."

Astral smiled.

“He and I have known each other for awhile.  We originally communicated via computers...but then we lived together. He is very protective, caring and kind. He is also a workaholic and a bit of a reclusive...not unlike me.”  Astral smiled and chuckled.

“Oh? Sounds like an interesting guy,” Yuuya laughed. “So what do you think of doing now? Gonna surprise him?”

“I think surprising him would be nice...I am not sure how to find him and when the right time is.  But I will find a time to do it...”  He said with a smile.

“Maybe you should see what he’s up to… See when it’s appropriate and all,” Yuuya smiled.

Astral nodded.

“That sounds like a good idea...but I do not know how to get to his house from here, or whether or not the police are still watching him.  Yami warned me that they were tailing him...”  Astral said with a sigh.  He'd wait, but he could only be so patient.  He really did want to see Kaito.

“Oh, are they?” Yuuya frowned. When it came to police information, Yami didn’t lie. “Well… maybe you could call him? You can use our phone or the one at the bar."

“That is what Yami said...I do not know if it is true, but considering that Kaito is a former cop and the police department knows his relationship to me, it is not unfeasible.” Astral said with a sigh.  His face lit up a bit at Yuuya's suggestion.  

“I think I would like that...maybe we can use the one at the bar, just to be safe...I do not know if the police are tapping his phone lines...”  Astral said.

“Fair enough. We’ll go down there later before I have work and you can use it. Sawatari won’t mind.” Yuuya smiled.

“Okay...thank you Yuuya. That sounds good...at the very least, I could call Yuuma and Shark too, so I can see how they are.”  He said happily.

“No problem, Kibou,” Yuuya smiled. “You’ve been here only a short time but you’re part of the family. Anything for you."

“Family...”  Astral murmured.  He hadn't really had one of those before, other than Yuuma and Shark, and then Kaito's family.  He smiled.

“I am glad, Yuuya.”  He replied.

Yuuya smiled. “So… Maybe you want to go shopping? Yuuto does give you a bit of money. It should be in that envelope.”  

Astral nodded, checking the envelope.  

“That sounds good...I need some new clothes anyway.”  Astral said with a smile, accompanying Yuuya to the shopping mall.

“Mmm… maybe you can get him a present… Like chocolate or flowers or something he likes,” Yuuya smiled, not caring he sounded like a hopeless romantic.

Astral chuckled.

“That sounds nice...Kaito and I have never really done that for each other.  It might be nice to try it.”  He said with a smile.  Maybe he could get something for Haruto too...

“Really? Well you gotta try it at least once otherwise you don’t know if you like the sentiment or not. It may surprise you!” Yuuya chuckled.

Astral nodded.

“I suppose so...let's see if I can find something nice for Kaito.”  He said with a smile.

“I’ll help,” Yuuya smiled, taking Astral’s hand, not unlike how Yuuma would have once done.

Astral smiled at Yuuya as the other took his hand, a bit surprised by the uncanny resemblances to Yuuma that this young man possessed.  It made Astral feel more at ease.

“Thank you.”  He said.

“No problem. I’m really good at all this romance stuff. I had it drilled into me by my brothers and best friend when I was fourteen.” Yuuya grinned.

Astral smiled.  

“Good...then I'll count on you, Yuuya.”  He said.

“Do you have anyone special in your life?”  He asked, curious.  He knew Yuuya was friendly with a lot of people, like Yuuma, but wasn't sure if he was seeing anyone.

“Hmmm?” Yuuya tilted his head and he smirked. “I wish. The closest I have outside my brothers is my boss that flirts with me. I’m an entertainer for most part though, so it doesn’t bother me.” The smile did look a little pained though.

Astral nodded in understanding.   He had heard of Yuuto and Yuuya's routines, but he knew that Yuuya enjoyed it much more than Yuuto did.  

“Do you have someone you are interested in then?  Maybe your boss who flirts with you?”  He asked.

“I don’t talk to him too often. We just have fun chatting and outshining each other, but there’s not much to it,” Yuuya shrugged. “Don’t worry. I’m really not that interesting behind the scenes."

“Well...if this is you 'behind the scenes', then I think you are interesting and I enjoy your company. I'm sure others do too.”  Astral countered with a smile.  

“Neh, neh. You’re really nice, Kibou, but honestly not really. I’m just that nice, bumbling friend. Nothing like my siblings or whatever,” Yuuya said, stretching as they walked.

“If you say so.” Astral said, smiling and shifting his attention to the windows of the stores they passed.  He paused when he saw his reflection, still a little struck by it.  The light blue tattoos on his face still surprised him.

“I wonder how Kaito will like these...”  He mused.

“You’lll get used to it some time. It’s a big change,” Yuuya chuckled.

“I suppose I will.  I have to keep reminding myself that my reflection is really me”  Astral said with a chuckle.

“Or not. After all, Kibou can be anyone you want to be"

“I suppose...I shall have to think about what I want him to be.”  Astral said with a shrug.

“New life, new chance. Hopefully Kaito will like it too,” Yuuya said, trying to be encouraging.

“Yes...I hope he will.” Astral said, noting that they had arrived at the bar.

“I will try to call him now...hopefully we can meet up somewhere.”  Astral said.

“Yep.” Yuuya smiled. “Come on in. Hopefully he won’t be busy now,” Yuuya smiled.

“Hopefully not.” Astral said, following Yuuya into the place and to the bar's phone.  He picked it up, took a deep breath to relax himself and dialed Kaito's cell phone number.

Kaito was at the hospital, waiting for Haruto to wake up again. The man was debating sleep when he felt his phone vibrate. He was tempted to ignore it, but he figured that if it was Chris, he’d better answer it. His fingers fumbled at the device and he touched the screen.

“Who’s this?” He asked, since he was unable to read the caller ID.

Astral had to hesitate a moment as he heard the man he loved speak for the first time in so long.  

“...Kaito...”  He said at last.

Kaito’s heart dropped. Was… was this a sick joke? He nearly let go of his phone when he heard the familiar voice call his name.

“Where are you? Are you okay? It’s you… right?”

Astral smiled happily as he heard Kaito speak more.  

“...Yes...it is me...and I am okay...”  He said happily.

“It is so good to hear you again...”  

Kaito gripped the phone tighter. “Where are you?” He didn’t want to call his name, just in case someone overheard. “I haven’t heard anything from you in ages. What happened? I didn’t know if you were okay…” Kaito felt himself tearing up. “God..."

“I am with friends...at a bar.  But, it would likely be better if I came to you...where are you?  At home?”  He asked. He felt himself tearing up too with a small sigh.

“I missed you too...I was not able to contact you because it was dangerous.  Are police tailing you...someone I know said they were.”  

“I’m… No… I can’t see you.” Kaito muttered, steeling himself silently. “I’m at the hospital. Haruto needs me to be there for him. He had another relapse…”

“…… They’re not tailing me. Keeping an eye on me, but no one is outrightly following me.”

“Oh my gosh...that's horrible...”  Astral said, frowning in concern.  It might be too risky to see Kaito in a hospital...

“I see...then when Haruto gets well...I can see you again.”  Astral said with a small smile.

“… yeah….” Kaito sighed. “… I hope he gets well this time… The doctors say that he may not make it."

“He will...Haruto is strong.” Astral said firmly.  He wanted to reassure Kaito.

“… Yeah…” He made it the other times, but Kaito still felt uneasy. “So you’re in a safe place with friends, right? You’ll be okay there for a while longer?”

“Yes...I am safe.  I will be looked after...it will be okay.” Astral said with a smile.

“… There’s so many things I want to say, but I don’t know even where to start…” Kaito murmured, closing his eyes.

“I feel the same...it would be easier to talk to you in person.  But...I should warn you...I do not look the same as I did before...” Astral said.

“I won’t even see it, so it won’t matter,” the man smirked.

“Are you completely blind now?”  Astral asked.

“I don’t have colour in my vision anymore, and I can maybe see outlines if there is bright light, but that’s it.” Kaito shrugged. “I’m used to it. It’s not like it’s a big deal."

“I see...then I suppose my facial tattoos will not alarm you.”  He said with a small smile, part of him relieved.  

“You have facial tattoos? Really?” He smiled. “Must be interesting."

Astral chuckled.  

“I did them so that I would not be recognized...”  

“… Hopefully when things quieten down, you’ll be able to come back.” Kaito said, quietly.

“...Yes, I would like that, Kaito...”  Astral said, smiling.

“….” Kaito sighed. “I’ll… hope to hear from you soon, okay”

“You will, Kaito...you will. Also, call me Kibou...that's my name.” Astral added.

“… Kibou…” Kaito smiled. “I thought you would use your real name… but that name is nice too. It suits you.”

“I still didn't want to use it...I wasn't sure if police had figured out that name or not.  I'm glad you like it.”  Astral said with a smile.

“It’s fine. I was just curious,” Kaito said, feeling a small smile come to his face with the knowledge that secrecy Astral’s real name would stay with him for a little longer, “I’ll be looking forward to get to know… Kibou.”

Astral smiled back at Kaito's response.

"I doubt I will be too different." He said with a chuckle.

Kaito smiled. “… It’s good to hear from you. I needed this,’ he murmured.

"I did too...I missed you. Yami said you were well, but I still wanted to know for myself..." Astral said.

“Yami…” He sighed. “Thank him for holding his end of the deal, okay?” Kaito said. “I’m fine… Living, unfortunately,” Kaito shrugged.

"I will, Kaito...I am glad you are still living. Have you spoken to Yuuma or Shark? How are they?"

“They’re alright… I haven’t said anything about Haruto so nothing but smiles on their end… I haven’t really had the chance, honestly."

"Would you like me to tell them? I planned on calling them next anyhow." Astral offered.

“Yeah… sure..."

"Okay. I will then..." Astral said, pausing for a moment.

"...I know I need to call them, but I also do not want to let you go..." Astral murmured.

“… We can talk later…. There will be a time for it.” There was a gentle smile. “Just take care of yourself.”

"I will take care...you should too. I love you Kaito...I'll see you as soon as I can." Astral said, before hanging up at last with a small sigh.

“I… love you too…” Kaito said, hanging up. Astral had… contacted him. He had come back even though it should have been impossible. It filled him with joy, and hope. If that could happen… Haruto would be okay too, right?

Astral hung up with a smile. After checking that it was till okay to use the phone, he dialled Yuuma's number and waited for his friend to pick up.

Yuma nearly tripped over a box on the floor thanks to the buzzing of his phone in his pocket. Now that he and Shark worked together, he hadn’t needed to have used his phone since he had seen Fuuya a few days ago; it was quite a surprise to have someone contact him. Yuuma awkwardly put the boxes on a tiny drawer and fished his phone out, making sure no one was suddenly walking in on him before answering it.

“Hello?"

“Yuuma?”  Astral said, smiling as he heard his friend's voice.

“It's me...”  

“AST-“ Yuuma started before slapping his hand over his mouth. He winced but recovered quickly, all but mashing his face against the phone.

“Hey! How are you? It’s great to hear from you!"

Astral sighed softly as he heard Yuuma essentially slap his own mouth closed.

"It's Kibou now." He supplied, before smiling as Yuuma asked him how he was.

"I am well...I am now permitted to roam around, so I wanted to see how you and Shark are."

“Oh… Hey there…” Yuuma’s eyes lit up. “Oh? Do you? Are you free now or soon? Where are you?"

"I am free now...I just went out for a walk with a friend...we are at a bar." Astral said, glancing over at Yuuya, who was talking to his boss.

"I can go wherever I want now essentially, as long as I am careful."

Yuuma grinned. “What bar? BARian? We’ll meet you there right now if you stay put!” Yuuma exclaimed, not caring he and Shark were at work.

"Yes, I believe it is the BARian." Astral said, before he smiled.

"Sure, I can stay put. It would be nice to see you again...but do not be alarmed if I look a little different...." Astral warned.

“It’s fine, it’s fine! Don’t worry! We’ll see you in fifteen minutes.” Yuuma hung up and stuffed his phone into his pocket. He burst out of the room- nearly giving Yusei a heart attack- and flew towards Shark.

“Shark! Shark!"

Astral smiled and chuckled. He knew Yuuma was not one to judge based on appearances.

"Okay. I will see you soon." He said, before hanging up.

Shark almost jumped when Yuuma bounded towards him.

"What? Geez, calm down! You're making a scene idiot." He muttered, but he gave Yuuma his attention anyhow, pausing in his work.

Yuuma grabbed his arm, almost picking him up in a strong motion. “Hey! We gotta go! We need to go meet Kibou!” He yelled, not caring.

Shark yelped in surprise as Yuuma grabbed him.

"Yuuma! Calm down...who the hell is Kibou? What the hell is going on?" He said, having momentarily forgotten that Astral's fake name was "Hope".

“No time to explain! Yusei! We need to have the rest of the day off! You can dock it out of my pay!” Yuuma said. Yuusei was so shocked, he just kind of nodded. With the very vague confirmation, Yuuma dragged Shark out of work towards the bus stop.

Shark was mostly at a loss for words at this point, watching Yuuma essentially tell Yusei they were leaving. He barely got a chance to wipe his hands free of oil before Yuuma dragged him out.

"Yuuma! Slow down, idiot!" He cried, eventually managing to keep up as they arrived at the bus stop. He sighed.

"Now will you explain why you're doing this?"

Yuuma let go of Shark and he turned to him, eyes sparkling, looking like a small child instead of the towering giant he was.

“It’s Hope… Kibou now… We’re gonna see him!”

Shark was surprised to be greeted with such an honestly excited and childish look from Yuuma. He'd seen them before, but not for a long time now. He blinked as Yuuma explained.

"We can see him? Does that mean he contacted you?" Shark asked in surprise. That explained why Yuuma was so eager.

“He just called me! He’s at the BARian with someone he trusts. Come on!” Yuuma said, trying to wave down a bus stop even though the street was empty for now.

Shark sighed, looking nonchalant but he was actually happy to be seeing Astral again too.

"Idiot, stop waving at buses that aren't there." He muttered.

“But… I want to see him,” Yuuma pouted. “We should have taken your bike today. Damn it… I can’t help it, Shark. It’s been… how many months even?”

Shark shook his head, hiding a small smile.

"It's been quite awhile, I'll admit. It'll be nice to see him again." Shark replies.

“I know… He must be okay if he’s out and about!”

"Yeah, he's probably fine. So relax. You'll see him soon enough." Shark said.

“I can’t help being excited! Ho- I mean… Kibou is back!” Yuuma grinned.

Shark rolled his eyes.

"Just tone it down a notch, idiot." He mused. The bus finally arrived, so Shark and Yuuma got on and headed towards the BARian.

“You’re mean,” Yuuma pouted.

Yuuma blushed. “Ahh… Sharku…” Well that had him quiet.

Shark smirked a bit at Yuuma's reaction, and how he was finally quiet.

“Works every time...” He said softly.

“It works because you don’t like being affectionate in public,” Yuuma teased.

Shark rolled his eyes again and sighed.  

“We're here.”  He said, pulling the stop chord on the bus and standing up.

Yuuma grinned and hopped off. He looked around and saw the bar and ran towards the building. “KIBOU! KIBOU!”

Shark followed, muttering something along the lines of 'I can't believe I love this idiot', though he too was excited.  

Astral, who was waiting near the entrance to the bar, hiding in the shadows so that Yuuma and Shark wouldn't see him right away, heard Yuuma call his new name.  He hesitated for a moment, still a bit worried about what Yuuma might think of his face...

“Yuuma...I am here.” He called, just loud enough to catch the other man's attention.

Yuuma didn’t even bother looking at Astral’s face. He just swept Astral up into a huge bear hug and hugged Astral tight. He felt himself tearing as he held his brother in his arms. “Astral…”

Astral let out a small gasp of surprise as Yuuma hugged him, before it morphed into a smile as he returned the hug.  He sighed softly, holding Yuuma too.

“Yuuma...I have missed you.” He said, closing his eyes and letting Yuuma hold him for a moment.  Shark watched the scene, though unlike Yuuma he had a better view of Astral's new tattoos. He had never expected Astral to have any...but he had to admit, they were definitely a good disguise.  For the time being, he just waited until Yuuma had his fill of hugging Astral.

Yuuma didn’t seem like he had enough, but he let go after a long hug. The man stood back and looked at Astral, seeing the tattoos and the haircut. Astral had bulked up a little too, and the tattoos made him seem less scrawny, with a wider face. It was definitely something.

Astral was patient and happy to keep hugging Yuuma.  When Yuuma finally let him go, he stayed silent for a minute as Yuuma looked him over. He smiled a bit.

“...This is my new look...do you like it?”  He asked. Shark nodded.

“You look good.”

Yuuma smiled. “It looks great. You look like a whole new man.” Yuuma grinned.

Astral smiled and chuckled.

“Yes, I barely recognize myself when I look in a mirror.  I will have to get used to this.”  He said.

“How have you two been?”

“Great! Working! Living! The good stuff out of jail! It’s been tough but great… but I missed you!” Yuuma said, unable to help but hug Astral again.

Astral chuckled a bit as Yuuma hugged him again.

“I am glad.  I have been doing well, but I will truly be free from now on to do whatever I want.”    Shark shook his head at Yuuma's behavior, but he was smiling too.  

“We were at work just now, before Yuuma decided we needed to leave and see you.”  Shark supplied.  

Yuuma smiled and laughed. “Well it was worth it! We haven’t seen you in forever. I thought they would have… you know,” Yuuma said, before looking around, wondering if anyone would over here, “… smuggled you out of the country"

Astral smiled.

"I have no plans to leave...it was offered, but my family is here. I want to stay." He said. Shark nodded.

"With your disguise you'll probably be fine now." He noted.

“Yeah! Of course it will! So when will you move back in with Kaito?” Yuuma asked.

"I'm not sure. I spoke with him today, and he is busy with Haruto in hospital at the moment...perhaps when he is out." Astral replied. Shark nodded.

"Yeah...sounds kinda rough. Poor kid." He sympathized with Kaito. Having a sibling in hospital was not fun.

“Yeah… we heard…” Yuuma sighed. “Well… when you’re back, you can help Haruto and Kaito and everyone… It’ll be okay."

"Yes, of course. I will help however I can." Astral assured them. Shark nodded.

"Let us know when you're there and we'll visit."

“Yeah… now sit down. Have you eaten? Let’s have lunch here if they’re open, or down the street. Can we catch up?” Yuuma asked.

“Kibou? Is everything alright?” Yuuya called, coming out of the back room to where the men were crowded at the door.

"I have not, but-" Astral started, before he heard Yuuya call him. Good, he thought. He had to rely on Yuuya to get him back home after all.

"I am here, Yuuya. These are my friends, Shark and Yuuma. This is Yuuya, Yuuto's brother. He accompanied me today." Astral said.

“Oh! You’re Yuuto’s brother! You look kinda familiar…” Yuuma said. Yuuya blushed but he shook his head.

“Well I work here but so does my brother. I’m one of quadruplets… so maybe that’s why.” Yuuma seemed to accept that. “Nice to meet you both, Kibou told me about you.”

Shark only saw Yuuya as having resemblance to Yuuto. He nodded.

"Nice to meet you." He said simply. Astral smiled.

"Yuuma and Shark were wondering if I wanted to go out to lunch...did you want to come?" He asked.

Yuuya looked surprised. “Oh… You’re inviting me? I don’t mind going off on my own… I mean… you haven’t seen your friends in ages.”

"It does not seem fair to send you away on your own." Astral said, speaking like Yuuma had whenever he and Shark were going out and he invited Astral. Astral had always refused initially, but Yuuma would insist he wouldn't be a bother on their date.

Yuuma nodded.

"Yeah! You're Kibou's friend right? So you're our friend too! Come with us!" Yuuma said with a grin.

Shark gave his grunt of approval and Yuuya looked at them all in surprise. There was a small smile on his face as he stepped closer.

“Thank you… But I’ll treat you all, okay?” Yuuya smiled.

Astral blinked in surprise.

"That is very generous of you, Yuuya. Thank you." He said with a smile. Yuuma cheered.

"Woohoo! Let's go!" He said, heading into the bar with Shark in tow. Astral smiled and shook his head at Yuuma's eagerness.

Yuuya headed back in and spotted his boss, idly wiping the bar. Seeing customers, he waved to another bar worker and got them to attend to the men.

“So… You guys knew Kibou since childhood, right?” Yuuya asked

"Yup! We're all orphans, so it's like we're brothers!" Yuuma supplied happily. Astral nodded.

"Yuuma is my oldest and dearest friend. Shark as well."

“I see,”Yuuya smiled.

“I'm so glad to see you again...thank you so much Yuuya, for helping take care of Kibou.”  Yuuma said with a wide grin.  

“Huh? Oh… It’s nothing. Kibou is a nice guy, better than the other guys my brother brings home,” Yuuya blushed. “I mean… like the jobs, not the other kind of bringing home.”

Yuuma blinked at the second part of the statement.  Astral nodded slightly.

“I was a little bit weary of everyone at first...I still am weary of a few people, but never Yuuya or Yuuto.  They are both kind.”  Astral supplied.  Shark nodded.

“I'm not surprised...I heard they helped all kinds of criminals.”  

Shark actually snorted at the second part but glossed over it like everyone else.

“We do… It’s not the most… moral way of earning a living, but we do what we can. Some are nice, some are awful. We just try to be good to everyone,” Yuuya smiled.

“It's cool!  Shark and I used to be thieves...we understand that sometimes you have to do immoral things to survive.”  Yuuma said.  “We don't do that anymore though.”  

“Yeah…” Yuuya smiled, “I heard about that from Kibou,” Yuuya said. Shark didn’t have anything to add so he opened the door to the restaurant, letting the group in.  

They entered and got a booth where they would be able to talk.  Astral sat next to Yuuya, Yuuma and Shark sitting on the other side.  

“I have not eaten out in awhile.”  Astral said truthfully.  “My meals have been prepared at the house where I have been staying.”  

“Well, now you can eat out! When you meet Kaito, you should take him out somewhere nice too.”  Yuuma said, making Astral smile at the idea.

“So you guys know Kaito?” Yuuya asked.

“We’ve known him for far shorter than Kibou, but yeah, we do.”

“Kaito is one of very few people I knew before Yuuma.”  Astral teased with a smirk.  Yuuma sputtered.

“I'm not that popular!” He exclaimed.  Astral gave him an incredulous look.

“No, you’re not,” Shark muttered, wishing his boyfriend would quieten down.

Yuuma pouted a bit, but did quiet down.  Astral smiled and chuckled.

“Speaking of, how are all your friends doing, Yuuma?  How is Akari-san?”  He asked, having not heard much about the outside world.

“Akari is great! I’m gonna be an uncle soon!” The man grinned excitedly.

“Really?  She is pregnant?  That is great!”  Astral exclaimed with a smile.  

“Yup!” Yuuma grinned. “I can’t wait!”

“You’d think it was his child,” Shark snorted.

Astral and Yuuya chuckled.

“Well, I am sure your niece or nephew will be spoiled silly then.”  Astral said with a smile.

“I know, I know… But it’ll be worth it. It’s not like Shark and I can have our own, and we’re not viable for adoption because the whole jail thing,” Yuuma said, waving his hand. Yuuya chuckled at that.

He then checked the time and paused, realising he was a bit late. He put his hand in his pocket and grimaced. “Ah… Damn. I forgot… Hang on guys… I need to make a call."

Astral nodded, smiling at Yuuma's comment before drowning in concern for Yuuya.

"Is everything okay?" He asked.

“Yeah, it’s fine. Just need to call my brother.” Yuuya slipped away from the table and hurried outside, speed dialing his brother’s phone. “Come on… pick up…”

Yuuto had his phone on him at all times, thankfully, and he picked up immediately when he saw his brother's name on the caller ID.

"Hey Yuuya." He said.

“Hey… I… I forgot to take my meds this morning… and now… I’m out with Kibou and his friends in the bar eating… I… Can you get it for me? I can feel it wearing off. I haven’t had it in almost twenty-four hours.”

Yuuto stiffened. That wasn't good at all.

"Where are you?" He asked, immediately moving to find his brother's pill bottle so he could bring it to him. He found it in its usual place, not bothering to pick out a single pill. He may not have time for that.

“At work. We’re eating here for lunch…” Yuuya groaned. “Sorry…’ He grimaced, clutching his heart.

Yuuto could hear the strain in his brother's voice.

"Okay. I'll be there soon. When I hang up, turn on your phone's GPS, so I can get to you right away." It was also just in case Yuuya lost his sense and ran off somewhere...Yuuto would hopefully be able to catch him before he did something he would regret.

"I'm coming. See you soon." Yuuto said, hanging up and grabbing his helmet. He got on his bike and rode as quickly as he could towards the BARian.

“Y-yeah… Okay…” He did so and pocketed his phone before he began breathing heavily. He didn’t notice it before, but now he was aware he was unmedicated, he felt awful. However, instead of waiting for his brother outside, he took a deep breath and faked a smile. He’d just… sit there and be pleasant until Yuuto came over. Yeah… Right...

Astral smiled as Yuuya returned.

"Everything okay now?" He asked.

“Yeah… my brother is coming over. He wants to just give me something,” The man said, going to sit down.

"Ah Yuuto? Okay then." Astral said.  

"We just got our food too. You have good timing." Yuuma said with a grin.

“Oh good. Well… we’re the only ones here, so no wonder they’re so fast,” Yuuya said. “Thanks Shingo and everyone. Itadakimasu,”

"Itadakimasu!" Astral said with a smile, digging into his food along with the others.

Shortly after, Yuuto pulled into the parking lot outside the bar. He could tell by Yuuya's GPS signal that he hadn't moved. That was a good sign. He entered and spotted the group immediately, since the bar was almost empty.

"Yuuya." He said, approaching his brother and the others at the table.

“Hey Yuuto,” Yuuya smiled, seeing his brother. He was thankful his brother was so fast, and they had avoided an incident where he’d go berserk.

“Yuuto? Oh! You’re that guy! Hi!” Yuuma grinned, recognising the man.

Yuuto passed his brother his pill bottle discreetly and nodded at Yuuma.

"It's been awhile. Nice to see you two are doing well since we last talked." He said politely.

Yuuya mouthed a thank you and took one when everyone was looking at Yuuto.

“You too! It’s been ages! What are you doing here?” Yuuma chirped, acting like they were old friends rather than near-strangers.

"My brother was an idiot and forgot something again, even though I keep telling him it's important." Yuuto said, shooting his brother a quick look. He was surprised at Yuuma's friendliness.

"Thank you for your work, Yuuto. I have the folder you left for me." Astral said with a smile.

Yuuya made a face and stuffed the bottle in his pocket. “Sorry… Thanks Yuuto for saving me.”

“Yeah! Thanks man! I have my whole family back now, thanks to you!”

Yuuto rolled his eyes, muttering 'hopeless' under his breath. He nodded.

"Not a problem. Kibou's a good guy. Now, I won't bug you any longer. Have a nice lunch." He said, waving and heading back out. Astral smiled.

"Did he intend to give you something? I did not see if he did." Astral asked Yuuya.

“See ya!” Yuuma waved. Shark looked curiously at Yuuya but the man shook his head and laughed.

“Yeah… my wallet. We’re all sorted now. Don’t worry.”

"What? You forgot your wallet after you offered to pay for our meals?!" Yuuma exclaimed, before laughing. Astral chuckled.

"You are one to talk, Yuuma. You lose or forget things all the time. Shark has to bail you out as Yuuto did daily." He teased.

“Yeah… That’s why I had to call him,” he laughed. “Sorry. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again!”

“Yes. At this point I don’t know why I don’t just confiscate what he earns. It’s probably safer with me,” Shark muttered.

"It is alright Yuuya. We are accustomed to this sort of thing because of Yuuma." Astral mused. Yuuma spluttered and pouted.

"I'm getting better!" He protested, before immediately realizing he'd misplaced his napkin.

Yuuya burst out laughing and even Shark had to snort. The purple haired man shoved his napkin over to Yuuma to use and he sighed.

“Damn… haven’t been here in ages though…” he looked around the BARian. “Not a bad place. You work here, Yuuya?”

“Yeah… I’m an entertainer” As a stripper...

Astral laughed too at Yuuma's antics. Yuuma poured but quickly calmed as the topic was changed.

"An entertainer? Sounds cool! Do you do tricks or something? Comedy stand up?" He asked.

“I dance…” Yuuya said, not completely lying.

“Really?” Shark raised his eyebrow.

“Dancing? Awesome!  Do you teach dance classes or something?  Or maybe break dance?”  Yuuma asked, still not cluing in.  

“Ummm… No I don’t teach, I just perform.” Yuuya said. Shark just stared at his boyfriend in disbelief. Yuuya said he worked here, as a dancer, and this bar offered strippers. Yuuma’s skull was so thick...

Astral sighed.

"Yuuma, I am fairly sure you are aware what kind of performers are here, but you drank too much at that bachelor party to remember." He said. Yuuma blinked.

"You mean Alit's...oh! Yeah! I remember now! There were table top dancers and pole dancers!" He said with a grin.  

"That looked really cool to do! Is it fun?"

Yuuya’s face went red. He didn’t mind admitting it to Kibou since he had known him for a while, but telling strangers his occupation was a lot more embarrassing in his book. Even if they had seen him before, he didn’t remember the others. Yuuya put his face in his hands, trying to hide his awkwardness.  

“It’s fun to perform… yeah…” He muttered.

Yuuma blinked.

"Awww don't be embarrassed! We don't mind what you do!" Yuuma said.

“At least it’s a legal job…” Yuuya muttered, though he seemed to get a bit more flustered as Yuuma reassured him.

"Legal jobs are good! Shark and I work in a garage and Kibou...well I'm not sure what you do." He said. Astral shrugged

"Nothing yet"

Shark was again glad his boyfriend missed the obvious implication of Yuuya’s work as a carer for people specifically smuggled out of prison and hiding their identities.

“Any ideas what you’re gonna do?”

"I am not sure. I will try applying to places soon." Astral said with a smile. He wanted a legal job again.

“Maybe you can apply here,” Yuuya said. “We’re always looking for new bartenders, especially since Ray left.”

"Oh? Kibou as a bartender? That sounds awesome!" Yuuma exclaimed. Astral pondered this idea.

"Is any training or experience required for these sorts of jobs?" He asked.

“Not really… You just need to deal with customers and learn to make drinks.” The man smiled. “Just talk to Shingo and win him over."

"Hmmm I see. Maybe I can do that. How does one win Shingo over?" Astral asked.

“We can ask him, he’s here.” Yuuya said honestly.

"Okay. After lunch, I will ask." Astral said. Yuuma grinned.

"Good luck!"

Yuuya gave a smile. “Well we’ll see each other when I work,” Yuuya said before blushing, feeling a little flustered that one of his brother’s charges would soon be seeing the two of them doing their day jobs. “Oh well…”

Astral smiled.

“I like that idea.  It does not bother me what you do for a living.” Astral assured Yuuya.

“Doesn't bug us either! We might come say hi!”  Yuuma said with a grin, excited for both of them.

“I know, I know. Don’t worry about that! I’m not worried,” he laughed, faking it well. “Look! The food’s here. Let’s eat."

“Food!”  Yuuma cheered, immediately digging in ravenously. Astral chuckled a bit at Yuuma's enthusiasm.

“You'd think you had just come out of prison at the rate you are eating.”  He mused.  Yuuma pouted.

“I'm just starving!”

“He’s always been like that. You think that he’d get fat but nooooo… he just gets taller and taller, it’s ridiculous.” Shark said, elbowing Yuuma. Yuuya laughed at Yuuma while Shark rolled his eyes, looking irritated but really not.

Astral smiled, digging into his food much more slowly.  Yuuma pouted.

“It's not my fault I have a really good metabolism!”  He said.

“A good metabolism doesn’t excuse your table manners,” Shark chided, though he really didn’t care for it at all. He was just in the habit of berating Yuuma, not that he really meant it.

Yuuma grinned innocently.

“Sorry~”  He said, slowing down a bit.  Astral smiled as well, having missed his two oldest friends. He hoped that he would get to see more of them...as well as Kaito.

-x-

Today was a pretty important day for Vector and Takashi.  It was the day where Vector would be given a checkup after a few rounds of treatment with the cure made by MIDS.  It would determine whether the cancer was truly receding properly or if it was gone. Vector really hoped for the latter, but would settle for the former if it meant he would be able to cure himself in the long term.  

“Are you ready, Takashi?” Vector asked, dressing up as a man with his beanie.  He had the papers that Mist had made for him confirming that he was part of Witness Protection and his name was supposed to be confidential.  

Takashi gave a small smile as he put on his coat. It was getting back to Autumn again, which was good for them both to just cover up and hide their faces, not that they needed to hide anymore. The man was hunting for his cane before Vector called him, and had just found it under the couch. He poked his head up and smiled.

“Yeah, I’m ready. And you? Are feeling okay?” Takashi asked as usual as he walked over, keys at hand and ready to take his boyfriend for a slow walk and bus trip to the hospital.

“Yes, I'm fine.” Vector said, putting his jacket on and smiling at Takashi.  He waited for the other to lock the door before taking his hand for the walk to the bus stop.  He sighed.

“I really hope things will be okay...maybe I won't have cancer anymore.  That would be great.”

“Mmm… Cancer isn’t a thing that just goes down… but this is supposed to be some miracle treatment, so hopefully it’ll be alright. Think positive some more, that works, neh?” Takashi said as he walked with Vector. “You’re strong. You don’t seem so bad these days,” Takashi said, though he knew that could be because he was getting used to Vector’s new weaknesses.

“Yeah. It worked on Kaito. He's cancer free, but suffers a few set backs, like blindness.  For me, I guess it could be just forever being a bit short of breath, but I can live with that.”  Vector said with a small shrug.  He smiled and nodded.

“I feel alright...not 100%, but good enough to function.  So, I'm sure it'll be fine.”  Vector said, squeezing Takashi's hand gently.

“He was going blind before though, he told me degenerative vision was in his family,” Takashi pointed out. “I wouldn’t mind what happens to you as long as we can still be together. I promised I’d be with you,” Takashi said, squeezing back.

Vector nodded.

“I don't think that shortness of breath is in my family...I don't remember either of my parents having issues like that.”  He said, before smiling a bit wider at Takashi's words.  

“As long as you're with me, I wouldn't have it any other way.”  He cooed softly, kissing Takashi's cheek because he was being sweet.

Takashi laughed, glad that they could still be in this cute, lovey-dovey stage even after so long. He wished it could last forever… or at least he wished for the strength to persevere, even when these times were gone.

“And after you,” He said, helping Vector onto the bus when it arrived. It was a short trip at least… they’d be hearing about this soon.  

Vector smiled as Takashi laughed.  He enjoyed spending time with Takashi when he was happy.  

“Thank you, good sir.” He rolled his eyes a bit, holding his boyfriend's hand and letting him help him onto the bus.  They sat in a seat and Vector continued holding Takashi's hand and smiling.

Takashi smiled, but he was still worried inside. He looked out the window, and bit his lip. … What now? What came next?

Vector sighed, noticing the look on Takashi's face.  

“Hey.”  He said, squeezing his boyfriend's hand.  

“It will be okay, Takashi. No matter what, we'll be okay.” He promised him, trying to reassure Takashi and get him not to worry as much.

“I know, I know. I’m worrying too much,” Takashi laughed softly, but it tampered out quickly. “I know… I just want the best for you…” He knew their stop was coming, so he forced himself not to keep babbling on about how much anxiety was welling in him. “Shall we?”

“You are, Takashi. It will be okay.”  Vector said, noticing that Takashi was definitely holding back on his anxieties, but Vector let it slide for the moment since their stop was up.  Once they were through with the tests, surely Takashi's anxieties would be lessened.  Vector nodded.

“Yes, let's.”  He said, getting up and getting off the bus with Takashi.  They entered the hospital where Vector gave the nurses his papers and the two were told to proceed to the waiting room.  Vector would be undergoing a few basic tests, including an MRI to monitor the tumors in his body and see if any progress had been made with the cure.  

“I have to change in this smock thing...I'll be right back.”  Vector said, leaving his stuff with Takashi before going into a small change room.

Takashi took it and he smiled. Vector was so strong. He wished he could be like him. Takashi sat down on a chair a little bit off the radiology lab, thankful today seemed rather quiet, even though there were a couple of others going in and out.

Vector didn't consider himself particularly strong...he was just confident enough in the cure to be calm. This cure had worked on Kaito...and he knew that it had been designed partially for his sake, considering his mother's cancer was known to be hereditary, and Jack wouldn't have been unreasonable in assuming his son could one day come down ill with it.  Vector had to trust that this would work on him, and he would be okay.  

Once he was changed he came out, packing his clothes away in his small bag while he and Takashi waited for the doctors to come back out.

“Back in this thing again...glad it's not chilly or anything in here.”  Vector mused, since the smock was very light weight.

Takashi rolled his eyes. “Not the first outfit you’ve worn that’s not weather appropriate,” he teased, trying to lighten the mood. They’d be along soon enough, after they gave the grafts to the family before them.

“…So what do you want to do after this? I mean… it’s just checking you’re better… so we should celebrate or something,” Takashi said, trying to make for time.

Vector laughed at that comment.

“True...but who needs weather appropriate clothes when you're so warm?”  He teased, snuggling up to Takashi, since they were the only ones in the waiting room at the moment.  He shrugged, pondering that thought.  

“We could go out somewhere nice to eat?”  He suggested, not sure what to do at this point.

Takashi gave a laugh as he felt his boyfriend against him. He did notice how pale and thin Vector was, more so in the outfit that he was wearing. He didn’t comment again, but squeezed his hand.

“That sounds nice. A walk and lunch.”

“Yeah, it does, doesn't it?” He said softly, smiling at Takashi and squeezing his hand back.  However, he quickly pulled away a little as he heard the sound of the door opening. The doctor entered, finished with his previous patients.

“Right this way, you two. We'll begin the tests right away.” He said, after checking the files to make sure he knew which patient he was dealing with.  Vector nodded, getting up with Takashi.

“Thank you.” Takashi got up and helped Vector along. “You’ll be fine. Just close your eyes, talk a bit and we’ll go be getting lunch. I love you.”

Vector nodded.

“Yeah, I'll be okay.  I love you too.”  He said, before going into the testing room, where he'd get an MRI and then have a few other basic tests to do while they waited for the results for that one.  It wasn't the first time he'd had these sorts of things done, so he wasn't worried at all about the tests.  And as for the results...he'd be okay.  He had to be, he told himself.  

The tests were done after about half an hour.  Vector answered the doctor's questions to the best of his ability, and then Vector was sent back out to wait with Takashi for the results.  Vector had said that Takashi could hear the results too when they came out, so the doctor said he would call them both in once they came out. It shouldn't be too long, Vector thought.

“Done...except for the part where they get the results.”  Vector said with a smile, sitting back down next to Takashi.  

“Will we have to wait for that or can we get it another day?” Takashi asked as he looked up at the other man, smiling at him. He passed the bag over with Vector’s clothes and closed the book he had brought with him. “They can get the results really quickly these days, huh. Wow.”

“Nah, we can get it now. I'll get changed and maybe by then, they'll have them.”  Vector said, smiling as he got up to get changed again.  

“Alright,” Takashi smiled. “Get to it then, I’ll be here."

“Be back soon~”  Vector cooed, ducking into the changing rooms again. He had to pause and have a small coughing fit, but after that, he got dressed.  Barely a minute after he'd gotten out, the doctor came out.  

“I have the results of the test.  I assume you're Todoroki Takashi, and that it's okay to tell you both what we've seen here?”  The doctor said.  Vector nodded.

“Yes, you can tell my partner what's going on too.”  He confirmed. The doctor nodded before clearing his throat.  

“Very well.  Based on the tests that we've done today, and comparisons done with other patients who have been administered this cure, we have seen that there is some receding of the tumor growth, but unfortunately, it is not as much as we anticipated.  That makes me think that it will most likely be a temporary remission.”  The doctor explained.  

Takashi let Vector answer for him and he offered his good hand, letting Vector squeeze it as they were told the news. Takashi swallowed nervously.

“So… it’s going to come back? Is there anything you can do?”

Vector squeezed Takashi's hand, especially as the news came out.  So he was in remission...that much he had guessed and predicted...but it was going to come back?  

“It seems that way...usually after this much of a dose, the tumors would have been much smaller than what we're seeing.  This is based on the few cases we have administered this cure with...there aren't too many people diagnosed with this strand of cancer to go off of.  We could try more treatments...but we have nothing stronger than the one we've already administered.  If it doesn't work, then we have nothing that will get rid of it.” The doctor explained.  Vector took a small breath.

“How long then...until remission ends?”  He asked slowly.  The doctor sighed.

“It could be gradual, or sudden...but you should definitely monitor your general health, especially your breathing.  If things get worse, then you should come back for more tests.”

Takashi shuddered. He squeezed Vector’s hand. Surgery couldn’t remove any tumours without seriously injuring Vector’s lungs as it was, let alone to wherever it spread. GEPD was just too erratic to tell. “Alright… Thank you for telling us…” He said, though he wished he didn’t have that news. “… We’ll need to tell your regular doctor when we can, Vector…” Maybe he could suggest something else. “Is that all?"

Vector nodded simply, feeling a bit...numb.  He was not as optimistic as Takashi...he knew there was no other cure.  There was nothing else that could help him.  Once his remission was over, he would get worse, and worse, until his body could no longer take it and he died.  He squeezed Takashi's hand, trying to remain calm. He had to keep a calm face with Takashi at the very least, even though he felt horrible inside.  

“I will pass on the information to your general physician.  That was all I wanted to share with you, unless you had any further questions.”  The doctor said.  Vector shook his head no.

“Thank you, doctor.” He said softly.  The doctor left, leaving the two of them alone.

Takashi was half tempted to just get up and take Vector away from the hospital, to try and get him to a positive thinking space. However, he knew Vector needed his time so he remained where he was, quietly stroking Vector’s hand with his thumb.

“… I love you..."

Vector could barely feel Takashi stroking his thumb, almost as if he was in a permanent state of shock upon receiving the news.  He was dying...slowly, but surely, he was dying.  It would be faster than he thought...he wouldn't get to be like Kaito, living handicapped for quite awhile.  No, he would live until his lungs finally gave out...and it could be soon. He glanced at Takashi when the other spoke to him, forcing himself to smile a little for Takashi's sake.  

“...I love you too.” He said softly, leaning against Takashi. Takashi was going to watch him die. There was nothing either of them could do...and then, after he died, Takashi would be left alone to bear the weight of that pain.  Vector would hurt him again, one last time...and that bothered him too.  But even so, he didn't want Takashi to leave...he was selfish enough to want Takashi here.  He didn't want to die alone...

And Takashi wouldn’t allow that.

“I’m right here for you… I’m going to walk through with you until the end, alright?” Takashi murmured, kissing his head and wrapping his arm around him. He could feel himself tearing up, but he didn’t want to say anything. “Understand that?"

Vector took a deep breath to calm himself, letting Takashi wrap his arm around him.  Vector leaned in closer, finding that he liked the comforting half-hug that Takashi was giving him.  He wasn't really looking directly at him though, too lost in his thoughts to pay attention completely.  Plus, he was scared if he made eye contact, he would see his own sadness reflected in Takashi's eyes, and he would lose control of himself.  Takashi's words were part-way helpful, reassuring Vector that Takashi wouldn't leave...but they also intensified his guilt.  Takashi didn't know what he was getting into...staying would only hurt him.  

“...Are...are you sure...that you want to...?”  He managed to whisper softly before he could stop himself.  

“I promised I would, Phecda,” Takashi whispered. He knew he shouldn’t be saying Vector’s name outside of the house but they were alone, and he felt that Vector really needed to hear him now. “I want to stay with you. No matter what happens, or when it happens, I want to be by your side, no matter what.” He practically curled around his boyfriend, wanting to just surround him with all of his love. “It’ll be okay..."

Vector heard Takashi this time...even though he was speaking quietly, his words were so serious that Vector could not help but hear them and believe them wholeheartedly.  Although his guilt wasn't gone, he set it aside for the moment in favor of his greater want to have Takashi by his side until the end. That was what he wanted.  Vector clung to Takashi as the other enveloped him in a hug, unable to stop himself from trembling ever so slightly in his own sadness and chill.  He felt even more like crying now, but he also was stubborn enough to try and suppress it, burying his face in his boyfriend's shoulder instead.

“...Okay...thank you...” He whispered.

Takashi smiled and rubbed Vector’s back. “… Shall we go home then? We’ll just take our time together…” That’s all they could really do. Just live life as much as they could for the moments they had left.

Vector nodded to that idea, liking that he was being comforted.  And for now, he was a bit calmer...all he could really do was live whatever life he had left with Takashi.  

“...We'll make the most of our time together...and be happy...”  He agreed with a small smile.

“… Come on,” Takashi stood up and helped his boyfriend up. “Let’s go home.”

“Sure.”  Vector said, getting up with Takashi's help.  He felt as if he actually needed it today for some reason...maybe he was still in shock.  He let Takashi lead him out of the hospital, holding onto his arm for support. His mind was racing with thoughts of how long he had left, and it was scary to think about.  Would he have time to finish his model?  How was he going to tell his uncle and Mikage and all the others? How would Takashi handle things after he died?  

“I love you…” He murmured again. That’s all he said though. He knew his partner just needed time to think. He lead him back home, his own thoughts racing too.

Vector remained quiet. He squeezed Takashi's hand gently to show that he had heard him and understood.

What would Takashi do...would Vector become like a second Aika, someone that Takashi would be hung up over for awhile before moving on to someone else? Or...would Takashi even move on at all? He worked from home now. His friends all had partners and most were even getting married. They were starting their own families too. Would they have time to comfort Takashi, to try and get him out of the house to meet new people? Probably not, Vector reasoned. So Takashi would be alone...what if he...tried to join him in death early? That thought was downright horrifying to Vector, but he knew from experience that being alone could bring about such thoughts.

"...You're not allowed to die..." He said softly to Takashi.

Takashi looked down at him in surprise. “You mean… I’m not going to die before you, Vector. No way…” But he really knew what Vector meant. “… Yeah, I won’t,” he said, though he didn’t mean to make it sound as halfhearted as he did.

Vector looked at Takashi, listening to the first part. Of course he did care about that too, but he was more concerned about after. He knew Takashi guessed that.

"I'm not kidding...you can't die. Not before it's actually your time." He said more firmly, not liking Takashi's half hearted response.

“I know, I know,” Takashi said, continuing to lead Vector to the bus stop, “I won’t do anything stupid when you’re gone, okay? Better?"

Vector kept looking at Takashi and judging his face. He looked serious, but Vector knew that time might change him. He would have to keep watch on that as he got worse.

"...Okay. I'll hold you to that." He said, before smiling a bit.

"We can do stupid shit while I'm still here...not harmful stuff, but just...anything fun." He said.

“Don’t we always do that?” Takashi smiled. “But you’re always on the computer… how about we just hang out and the like?”

"I try to only go on the computer when you're working too, so I don't distract you." Vector cooed, though now that he knew he had little time, he'd have to work harder on his model. He nodded.

"Yeah...well hang out. Whatever we want." He said.

Takashi rolled his eyes. “Sure…” But he smiled. He tried so hard to smile for Vector. “So what do you want?"

"I think for now I just wanna go home..." Vector said, feeling a bit drained from the revelation that he was dying faster than he thought.

“Yeah… I was getting to that,” Takashi said. He didn’t feel like doing much either. He knew feeling sorry for themselves wouldn’t help with anything, but rest felt like a good idea right now.

Vector nodded, squeezing Takashi's hand.  

“We can snuggle or something.”  He offered with a small smile.  He did want to spend time with Takashi after all.

“A movie or something, the usual lazy day in,” Takashi said. However, saying that hurt him. They relaxed and spent time like that everyday… There really was nothing they could change… nothing more they could get.

“Hmmm...maybe.”  Vector said, though he was thinking along similar lines to Takashi.  Was that really how he wanted to spend the rest of his life?  No.  He didn't want to just sit around at home, even if it was with Takashi, but then again, at the moment, he was just too drained to do anything.  

Maybe go out, see a friend’s house, get a wheelchair… Just… something. Anything. If they couldn’t extend Vector’s life, how could they make it better? Not for the first time, Takashi wished he could do more.

With both men silently thinking hard, they finally arrived home.  Vector unlocked the door and was immediately greeted by Umbral, who seemed to pick up their general not as cheery disposition.  He rubbed his cheeks against Vector's legs, then Takashi's as the two of them came in.  Vector sighed softly.  

“Hey Umbral...”  He mused, bending to give the cat a quick pet before going to the couch to relax.  

Takashi absent-mindedly switched the TV on and flopped on it, looking tired himself. Umbral gave a small mewl and followed Vector on to the couch, jumping into his lap.

“… So what now?"

Vector curled up against Takashi, holding him close.  He pet Umbral as the other settled into his lap as usual.  

“I just wanna rest...clear my head a bit, you know?”  He said, focusing his eyes on the screen and trying to get absorbed into the story of the movie that was playing on it.  That would be a good distraction, he figured.

Takashi didn’t even pretend to be interested. He just hugged Vector and buried his head in Vector’s neck, pressing him tight against him. He wanted to feel his warmth, smell him and hear him. He wasn’t gone yet, but he couldn’t help but fear for the future.

Vector let Takashi hold him close, knowing that Takashi wanted to have him close and make the most of the time they had left.  He held Takashi against him, absentmindedly running a hand through his hair as he took in the movie.  

He recognized it as 'A Walk To Remember', the story of a delinquent teenaged boy who eventually falls for a straight A girl who was simple, but reserved when it came to friends or relationships due to her own illness.  Vector had seen it before, and before he could consider changing the channel, since it sounded a lot like him and Takashi at the moment (he even had cancer like she did), he paused when he spotted the girl explaining that she had a bucket list of things she wanted to see or happen before she died.  That gave Vector an idea.

“Be right back.” Vector said, getting up and going into the kitchen to grab a sheet of paper and a pen.  What if he made a bucket list of things he really wanted to do before he died?  Surely he would be able to revel in those brief moments of happiness, making the most of life and forgetting everything about his impeding death.  Pondering over what to write, he added a couple small simple things that came to him immediately, before returning to the couch. The movie was forgotten as he continued to jot down a couple ideas.

Takashi was surprised when Vector jumped up and Umbral was rather unhappy too. The cat mewled as Takashi watched Vector leave and come back with stationery.

“What’s that?”

Vector smirked.

“See for yourself. You'll be involved in all of these.” He said, showing Taksahi the list which now had a few things on it.  One of them was “Attend Sharkbait's wedding”.  A couple others were “Go back to Neo Domino”, and “Go on a cruise”.  

“A bucket list?” Only then did Takashi realise what Vector was watching. He nearly kicked himself. “That’s a good idea..."

"I thought so too. Feel free to add something. You'll be coming with me on these after all." Vector said. He didn't care much about the movie at the moment. He wasn't even watching it anymore.

“Well… I don’t know. It’s what you want to do. What’s something you’ve wanted to do?” Vector lived a life where he had been oppressed by his father’s expectations (not his fault, but still influenced), on the run from cops, lying and deceiving. Takashi knew the real Vector, but he did wonder what Vector was like away from all of this- the other aspect that didn’t involve him and involved all of Vector’s aspirations.

"Hmm...a lot of my ideas are pretty much things I've already done. Of course I've been to Neo Domino before, but this time I can show you around. And I've been on a cruise, but it's more special because it's with you." Vector pondered. He added "spa" to the list on that thought. He had enjoyed his last spa trip with Takashi. Why not have a repeat?

"Basically as long as you're there too and happy, I will be too." Vector finished with a smile.

Takashi smiled. “You’re so sweet, you know.” He said. “Whatever you want, you know. You already know I love you.”

"Okay..." Vector said, adding a couple other small things to the list. He suddenly blinked as he had an idea.

"What if we decided to surprise each other with something fun? Wouldn't that be cool?" Vector suggested.

“Hmm? What you mean? Like a surprise present or an outing?” Takashi asked,.

"Yeah something like that! It would be fun!" Vector said. Umbral meowed in semi agreement, mostly pleased his master was feeling better.

“And maybe we can take Umbral out with us or something. We have money, so we should just try and… do what’s best.’ He reached for Vector’s hand to hold.

Vector chuckled at that idea.

"Would you like that, Umbral?" He cooed, scratching the cat's head and receiving a loud content purr as a response. He nodded, holding Takashi's hand and squeezing it.

"Yeah...we'll do whatever we want."

-x-

Haruto was doing much better as of late.  He was still on heavy medication but at least he was able to consciously register his surroundings and the people around him.  He was in hospital still, because there were still tests and treatment to be done.  But, Ponta had been told by Kaito that he could visit Haruto, and the boy had been out the door as soon as he'd gotten off the phone.  Of course Ponta hadn't forgotten the video clip he had made as a present, along with a card.  Ponta was so excited to get the chance to see Haruto again, glad he was doing well enough to allow visitors.

He arrived at the hospital, quickly making his way upstairs to Haruto's room, where he found both Kaito and Haruto inside.  He beamed as he noticed Haruto was awake.

“Haruto!  I came to see you, pon!”  He called, rushing over to his bedside.

“Hey, slow down, Ponta and don’t yell,” Gilag called after Ponta. “Haruto may be asleep,” he said as he entered the room. Thankfully, Haruto certainly was not asleep and was just quietly reading, surprised when he saw his friend practically barrelling in. A huge beam split on his face.

“Hey there, Ponta. How are you?” He said, slowly sitting up straighter. He was glad… his friend was here.

Kaito looked up at the noise, smiling the slightest bit as he recognized Ponta's voice.  He knew the other boy would have been worried about Haruto. And Haruto sounded happy to see him, so that was a plus.  

“Ah!  Sorry, pon!  I was just so excited!”  Ponta exclaimed to Gilag, before rushing over to Haruto's bedside.  His grin matched Haruto's as he gave his friend a gentle hug.

“I'm doing much better now that you're doing better, pon!  I brought some presents for you!  Here, there's a card first!”  Ponta said, wanting to leave the video for last.  He gave a sneaky grin.

“You'll never guess what else I got you~”  He teased with a chuckle.

Haruto carefully manoeuvred the tubes in his arms around Ponta so he could hug his best friend. He had missed him so much while he was awake, and he could only imagine how Ponta felt since he had been asleep for most part.

“Ah! Thank you!” Haruto said, taking it and opening it to read. Gilag smiled at the two and went to sit by Kaito.

“Hey… sorry for just dropping in like this.”

“It's okay...Haruto and I haven't had any visitors other than Chris.  It's nice to see others.”  Well, hear others, Kaito thought.  

Ponta grinned as Haruto read the card.

“I have something else too...something super, super special, pon!  We made this just for you!”  Ponta said, opening his little backpack and pulling out his little portable DVD player so he could show Haruto his little ESPer Robin episode.  

“Watch, watch, pon!” Ponta said, holding it up so Haruto could see the action play out on the screen.

“And how have you been, Kaito? Keeping busy?” Gilag asked.

“Huh?” Haruto looked at the DVD player and up at Ponta. “Okay… Sure?” He was confused but he pressed play. His eyes bulged out. “That’s Robin! The real Robin!”

“More or less...mostly I stay here with Haruto.”  Kaito said with a small shrug.  

“How have you and the family been, Gilag?”  

Ponta grinned at Haruto's shocked look.

“Yeah it is!  I met him in the park!  He's really, really cool, pon!  I'm an Ally of Justice now!  You are too!” He exclaimed happily.

Gilag smiled. “Okay. It’s mostly baby stuff. Kotori and Alit are excited.”

Haruto looked at Ponta in astonishment. “Really? No way!”

Kaito smiled a bit.  A new baby huh...that would definitely be a happy thing for them.  

“When are they expecting?” He asked, not sure how far along Kotori was.  

Ponta grinned.

“Yes, way!  It totally happened!  Robin is amazing, pon!  This was all improvised, so he's an amazing actor!”  Ponta exclaimed.

“In a few months… God… I don’t even remember at this point, and I live with them. Time has flown,” Gilag chuckled.

“I know! You have Yuma and Shark and everyone in there. That’s awesome!"

Kaito nodded.

“Sounds like they'll have the baby before you know it.”  He mused.

Ponta grinned.

“Yeah!  It was awesome...I thought you'd like it!  I'm glad you're feeling well enough for me to show it to you, pon!”  He said happily.

“It’s weird, thinking my little bro has a wife and soon to be a dad. Makes me feel old,” Gilag laughed, nudging Kaito playfully.

“Yeah… I love it. Thanks Ponta. You’re the best.”

“It’s weird, thinking my little bro has a wife and soon to be a dad. Makes me feel old,” Gilag laughed, nudging Kaito playfully.

“Yeah… I love it. Thanks Ponta. You’re the best.”

Kaito chuckled.  He felt that way with Haruto all the time, considering his brother was growing up pretty fast.  

“I can sympathize...my brother's growing up quickly too.”  He mused, glancing in Haruto's direction.  He could hear how happy he was, and that was good.  

Ponta grinned, hugging Haruto gently again.

“No problem, Haruto, pon! Anything for you!”  He said happily.

“He looks a bit taller,” Gilag admitted, though Haruto was still very thin and pale. He looked more like a teenager, albeit a sickly one.

Haruto gave a soft smile and hugged him back. “Thanks.”

“He has definitely grown...he might surpass me soon.”  Kaito noted. He was still relatively short after all.

Ponta grinned happily, nuzzling Haruto's cheek gently as he was hugged, before his stomach growled loudly. He pouted a bit.  

“I forgot I didn't eat anything today...I was so excited I came right away without lunch, pon!” Ponta said with a sheepish grin.  

“If he’s growing, he’s still healthy enough to grow, I guess,” Gilag said, knowing his medical logic was severely flawed but saying it anyway.

“Awww… You and Gilag can go get lunch. I don’t mind,” Haruto said.

“I can go pick lunch up for all of us. It’s fine by me. You guys can keep talking,” Gilag said.

Kaito nodded, understanding the logic and appreciating it.  

Ponta pouted.  

“But I wanna stay with Haruto, pon!”  He exclaimed, before grinning as Gilag volunteered to grab lunch for everyone.  

“Yay!  Thank you Gilag!  Can we have pizza?  I love pizza, pon!”  Ponta grinned.  Kaito smiled a bit.

“We'll have whatever Ponta wants, thank you Gilag.”  He said.

“Pizza?” The man chuckled.

“I haven’t had pizza in ages,” Haruto laughed.

“Alright… see you in a few minutes.” Gilag said, heading out, thinking of going to the place a couple of streets away.

“Yay!  Pizza!”  Ponta cheered before Gilag left.  

Meanwhile, Miheal Arclight was just leaving an appointment with a patient who had been admitted to the hospital due to injuries sustained before his arrest.  He was thinking of stepping out to grab a bite, but he also had to read up on some stuff for his brothers.  Being the only single Arclight (well, Chris was technically single too, but he spent so much time with Kaito or with their father that he may as well have had a partner), he often helped out his brothers as best he could. Besides, it was a way of keeping up with what they were doing without being able to see them.  He was currently waiting for the elevator, coincidentally, the same one Gilag was approaching.

At first, Gilag thought he saw Chono Sanagi, his favourite idol from his youth, but then he realised how unlikely it would be to see her here. However, when he approached closer, he realised that this wasn’t a cute girl, but a cute man. Gilag politely waited behind him, unable to help himself looking at him, even though he knew it was very awkward to stare at strangers.

Miheal heard the sounds of footsteps behind him, and didn't really pay them any mind, until they stopped. He could see the shadow of someone very large behind him, but he wasn't afraid.  He also had the feeling he was being watched.  He casually turned his head to see what was indeed a very large man staring at him.  He had very strong arms and a green hair mohawk, with small brown eyes that were staring at him, his cheeks the faintest pink hue as he stared.  Miheal smiled sweetly.

“Up or down?”  He asked, since he was closer to the elevator buttons.

Gilag looked kind of startled as he looked at the green-eyed man. He was really handsome, with a type of sweet air to him.

“Um… down… I’m on my way out…” Gilag muttered.

Miheal found it kind of cute how this man seemed so startled by him.  It was almost uncharacteristic of someone with such a large and muscular body to be so shy.  It was endearing.  Miheal smiled.

“Ah, good, so am I! That way, neither of us will have to wait.”  He said, stepping into the elevator as the doors opened, smiling as he waited for Gilag to join him.

Gilag smiled back before he stepped inside. He pressed the ground floor button and then looked off at a poster, pretending to be looking at it so he didn’t seem like he was a creep and just eyeing Miheal. God, he was cute,

Miheal kept the corner of his eye on Gilag as they headed down, looking over his papers.  He had seen hints that this man might have been into him, and Miheal was intrigued.  It was hard to tell now that the man was no longer looking at him – like he was purposely avoiding him – and Miheal wanted to know if he had been right in his guess.  He had an idea to test that theory.  He pretended to dig into his bag for a moment before sighing.  

“Oh dear, I left my reading glasses at home...”  He mused, lying because he didn't wear glasses, and looked over at Gilag.  

“Would you be able to read this for me?  Just the title?”  Miheal asked sweetly to Gilag, holding up his small folder for the other to see.

Gilag looked over again, hearing the man speak. He took a small breath, feeling his heart race, and cursed mentally. Damn it. He had to get a grip. He just saw the guy. Why was he acting like a damned school girl?

“Sure.” Gilag said casually, closing the gap between them with a single step and looking at the detailed document. “Outpatient clinic, Emergency medicine summary,”

“You’re a doctor?”

Miheal's expression didn't change, but he could see that this man was definitely into him.  And it was nice of him to 'help'.  Miheal smiled.

“Thank you!  I'm glad I got the right file.”  He said, taking it back and 'accidentally-on purposely' brushing his hand against Gilag's for a reaction.  

“Not a medical doctor, no, but I do have a doctorate in psychology.  I was visiting a patient I've been working with.”  Miheal explained.  

“What about you?  What brings you to the hospital?”  

Gilag blushed as they touched and slowly took his hand away, trying to be calm. Damn it. He wasn’t going to go do anything rash. Last time that happened, Alit ended up upset and he was in jail.

“Ah, I see.” Gilag nodded, “I was just taking my little brother to see a friend who’s in hospital. I’m going to go bring them back lunch.”

“Aw that's sweet of you! My older brothers never took me anywhere.”  Miheal said, shaking his head in recollection.  Miheal took in that blush and couldn't help but chuckle a bit. This large man was cute.  

“Your face is as pink as my hair!”  He chuckled.

Gilag looked surprised and he covered his mouth, a little embarrassed. “Must be warm then, if I’m flushed anyway…”

Miheal smiled and chuckled a bit more as the man covered his mouth in embarrassment.  

“Maybe so...but either way, it's cute.  What's your name?  I'm Miheal Arclight.”  

“Ah… Barian Gilag. It’s nice to meet you,” he said, lowering his hand and smiling.

“Pleasure.”  Miheal said.  Unfortunately, he knew that he couldn't stick around at the moment...he had to go talk to the doctor about his recommendations based on his talks with the patient.  So he discreetly placed his business card that had his phone number on it in Gilag's hand when he accepted the handshake.  Seconds later, the doors opened on the floor he'd chosen.  

“I look forward to hearing from you, Gilag~  Bye for now.” He said, before stepping out of the elevator and heading off to his next appointment.

“Ah… see you, Arclight-san,” He said, unable to ask about what was in his hand. He looked at it and, as the doors closed, his face turned scarlet, realising he had just been given a number.

“At my age, I’m still scoring…” Gilag murmured, astounded his ugly mug had charmed the beautiful man. “Incredible…” He was still dazed as he walked out, flipping the card over as he headed to grab pizza.

-x-

Vector was still working on his bucket list, while also working on his model and making sure to get plenty of rest so Takashi wouldn't worry about his health.  He hadn't told anyone about his approaching death, mainly because he didn't want to worry about people crying.  Phoning Mikage would result in tears from her, for sure. His uncle probably wouldn't cry...but he'd still be really upset and make Vector guilty because he was effectively stealing away the last little bit of Yusei's family.  But, then an idea came to him.  If he told one person, someone who was very popular, he could get the word spread quickly that way.  And the person who immediately came to mind was Yuuma.  A call to him was necessary anyway considering he had to make sure he made the wedding.  So, he dialed Yuuma's number and waited for the other to pick up.

“Hey, it’s Yuuma,” Yuuma chirped, not minding that he was answering his phone during work. Yusei didn’t mind as long as he got the work done before the end of the day, “What’s up? Who’s this?"

“Hey Sharkbait.” Vector said, knowing that would be enough to alert Yuuma who it was.  

“I was just wondering...whether or not you and the Shark have any idea when you're getting married.” He asked, deciding to start with that. Starting with 'I'm dying' seemed kinda depressing.

“Hey there!” Yuuma exclaimed, grinning madly as he shoved a box back in the right place, “Good to hear you. We think like… in six months or so? It’s gonna be a small ceremony, but we wanna have enough money for some nice things anyway. We’ll send invites out soon enough, when Shark and I have time.”

“Six months huh?” Vector said, frowning as he thought this over.  He supposed six months was enough time...but with cancer, he could never know.  

“Well, I suppose that would work for me...I know it's your wedding and whether it works or not for you is more important...but...”  He sighed softly before continuing.  

“I do want to go to your wedding...but the longer it's put off, the less likely my cancer's remission will last.  The cure isn't working on me like it did Kaito, Yuuma.  I might not last six months.”  He said.

“Wait… what?” Yuuma almost hit his head on a shelf in alarm. “Wait wait wait… It’s not? But… I thought you were getting better!” He exclaimed.

“Well yeah, I was.  But the doctors said that it's not as well as they expected.  They're predicting that the cancer will come back.  They can't really say when exactly...that's just up to my body, I guess.” Vector said.

“… I… I’m sorry to hear that…” Yuuma muttered, “Is there anything they can do? I can do?”

“Not really...no.” Vector said with a sigh.

“I've got a bucket list...one of the things on it is to go to your wedding.  That's what I want to do, cause you're my friend and I wanna support you.”  

“… I’m gonna go convince Shark to push forward the wedding then! That’s the least I can do. If I can help you mark the stuff off the bucket list, I’ll do my best!” Yuuma said, smiling, glad Vector considered him a friend.

“...Thanks Yuuma.  I appreciate it.”  Vector said with a small smile.

“Hey, it’s fine,” Yuuma sighed. “I’m just worried for you, man… It must be awful. How are you feeling now?”

“I feel alright at the moment...don't worry.  Oh, and I haven't told Uncle yet...was going to do that personally, so don't say anything, okay?  Let me deal with it...”  He said with a sigh.

“Mmm… Okay…” Yuuma nodded. “So you found it out recently then? That it’s not working? Oh! And can I tell Shark?”

“Yeah, you can tell Shark and others if you want.  Just not my family.”  Vector said, before nodding.

“It was pretty recent...yesterday actually.”  He mused with a sigh.

“Ahh… I see…” Yuuma paused before he frowned. “And how’s Inchou taking it? Has he taken his medicine? I know he forgets in stressful situations”

“He took it, but only after I reminded him.”  Vector said with a sigh.  He shook his head.

“He's not taking it well really, even though it's not always obvious.  We've been comforting each other, so hopefully things will get better.”

“It’s only been a day… he should be writing notes to remind himself or something… Shark makes me do that when he remembers to tell me to remember stuff,” Yuuma said quite seriously.

“It will get better, you’ll see. Kattobingu~"

"That's not a bad idea...I could do that." Vector mused. He smiled.

"Yeah I'm not just gonna give up on life just yet. I'll be okay." Vector agreed.

“I’ll come see you some time this week and try help you with the bucket list. You gotta think some cool ones so we can do them. See ya later. I gotta get back to work before Yusei catches me."

"Sure sounds good! I'll see you then, Yuuma. Don't get in trouble now." Vector replied with a smile before hanging up.

A few minutes later,Shark poked his head into the room.

"You ready for lunch?" He called.

Yuuma looked up and grinned. “Yeah! Always!” He stashed his phone away and jumped over a box to get to his boyfriend. “We gotta talk."

Shark rolled his eyes, hiding an ill concealed smile. Of course his boyfriend was always ready for food. He waited patiently for Yuuma to approach and blinked.

"Talk huh? What about? Were you on the phone just now?"

“Yeah… don’t tell Yusei…” Yuuma smiled. “So… You know how we’re gonna get married?”

"I won't." Shark said. He smiled.

"Of course I know that. What about it? Do you have ideas for the wedding?"

“Nope! No ideas! But since it’s gonna be small.. I was thinking… why do we have to wait? I want you to be my Tsukumo Shark sooner! Let’s push up the date!”

Shark blinked in surprise. This was a bit unexpected, but he supposed Yuuma was often prone to spontaneous decisions. He sighed and rolled his eyes.

"How much sooner are you thinking?"

“Like… umm… a few months? The sooner the better?” Yuuma said, clearly not having thought this through.

"...You really don't know what you're doing, do you?" Shark mused.

"It doesn't matter to me when it is...but if you want others there, we have to make sure whichever day we amend it to works with our friends and sisters."

“Haha… and the minister… and the guy who gets us to sign those marriage form things,” Yuuma said. “And what works for Ena too!”

"Of course. Everyone has to be able to do this." Shark said, before frowning.

"Ena? Is that who you were talking to earlier? How is Ena?"

Yuuma’s face dropped a bit. He looked around for Yusei before he sighed.”Not good… His treatment isn’t working."

"It's not...does that mean...he's dying?"  Shark said softly, shocked.  He wasn't the biggest fan of Vector, but he still didn't think he deserved to die.

Yuuma nodded, “Yeah… I’m gonna see him after work or later this week,” Yuuma said, again making a spontaneous decision, “He just told me… And he told me attending our wedding was on his bucket list… That’s why…”

“Ah...yeah, we should probably go...”  Shark agreed. He blinked.

“Bucket list?  You mean things to do before he...”  Shark said, leaving the rest unsaid.  He sighed, shaking his head.

“...How's Yusei taking it?”

“Yusei doesn’t know. Vector hasn’t told him. They only found out super recently,” Yuuma frowned.

“Ah...I see.  Well, we can look into moving it up...if he really wants to go, we might as well indulge him.”  It'd be a dick move to deny a dying guy his wishes.  Shark said with a sigh.

Yuuma smiled and hugged his boyfriend, resting his chin on Shark’s head. “Thanks.”

Shark smiled, hugging Yuuma back.  “It's not a problem.”  

-x-

It was almost the end of the day by the time Vector finally worked up the courage to talk to his uncle. He had to tell him eventually...and it would probably be better now that Yusei's workday was over.  He would be free for a chat, and would have time to react however he needed to without having to worry about his work duties. Vector sighed softly, dressed in drag just in case there were some lingering workers in the garage as he and Takashi got off the bus.  

“...I'm kinda nervous about this...”  He confessed softly.  

Takashi gave a small smile and squeezed Vector’s hand. “It’s fine… Don’t worry. There’s nothing to be worried about."

Vector smiled a bit, squeezing Takashi's hand back gently.

"Yeah...I guess. I just hope he takes it okay..." Vector said, pausing at the door.

"If there are some other workers there, can you do the talking for me to get us away from them and to Uncle? I don't think I can keep up a womanly voice at the moment..." Vector asked.

“Of course,” The man smiled at him. “Don’t worry.” He lead them through the garage and there were a few stragglers. Yusei was sitting on his usual couch, scribbling down, probably balancing costs and the like. “Hey… Yusei…”

“Oh? Ena, Takashi, hey there."

Vector didn't make eye contact with any of the other coworkers, some of which noticed him. He smiled a bit as he spotted his uncle.

"Hi...um...I need to talk to you. Can we go upstairs?" Vector asked softly so that none of the stragglers would hear him.

Yusei frowned, seeing the serious look on his face. He nodded and put his pen and paper away. “Sure…” He led them up the stairs and Takashi slowly guided Vector up to the living room. Yusei offered them a seat and closed the door to the garage. “What happened?"

Vector followed Yusei upstairs, sitting down in the seat he was offered. He held Takashi's hand tightly for support before taking a breath to get his bearings before speaking.

"Yesterday I had a checkup...to see how the cure was working and all. But, when the results came back...the doctors said that...it wasn't working as well as expected..." Vector said, looking down and swallowing a bit.

"...So...it means that although I'm in remission...it probably won't last. The cancer will come back...and they can't stop it...when it does..." Vector finished, letting his uncle fill in the blanks.

“… No…” Yusei says, almost immediately, “That can’t be… Jack said he had a cure and it would work in the future… for now…” He clenches his fist and walks towards his nephew. “There has to be something we can do, Vector.”

“Yusei-“ Takashi started.

“I… You were supposed to get better. You’ve only had a couple of years…” Yusei was just… at a loss.

Vector bit his lip. This was why he'd been worried. He knew his uncle would be devastated.

"...There isn't..." Vector said softly, finally looking up at his uncle.

"...I'm sorry, Uncle. I'm so sorry..." He whispered.

Yusei had that look that he didn’t want to give up on Vector. He looked at Vector and went to hug him tightly, not really knowing what to say.

Vector appreciated his uncle's look. He was strong and he did care for him. He hugged Yusei back equally tightly.

"...there's still the model...that's the only chance I have..." Vector said softly in his ear so Takashi didn't hear.

“That’s not living… That’s not you…” Yusei frowned. Takashi looked confused but Yusei parted from Vector and looked at him.

“Sorry… Can you boil some tea?”

“Okay… Sure…” Takashi could see they needed their privacy, so he got up.

Vector stayed silent until Takashi was gone.

"I see it as a new body...because like it or not, this body I have is dying, Uncle." Vector said with a sigh.

“No matter how close you make it, it’s not going to be you. It’s just going to be a machine… a memory...."

"...Is that not better than nothing?" Vector said. He sighed.

"I do have a bucket list to do as well...so I'll make the most of my leftover time..."

“Might hurt more… That it’s just a copy that’s around,” Yusei sighed, “But I committed to your project, and I’ll keep helping you out with that.”

“A bucket list? Huh… sounds interesting"

"It's a copy that acts like me...so it'll almost be me. More or less." Vector said. He nodded.

"Takashi and I are going to do it together." Vector said, smiling as Takashi returned with the tea.

Yusei frowned. A human couldn’t be replaced with a machine. “… But would you say the same if you and Takashi had your roles switched? Would you be happy with a computer program?”

“Here… how you guys like it,” Takashi said quietly, putting the tea down.

"...I think it would still be better than nothing..." Vector murmured. He smiled, kissing Takashi's cheek.

"Thanks love." He said.

Takashi smiled and sat back down. Yusei still looked troubled and he rubbed his temples.

“Do you know how much longer? More specifically?”

"No, I don't. It could be almost anytime though...since the cancer is in my lungs, when it does come back, it'll probably kill me quickly..." Vector noted softly. He knew he couldn't survive without lungs.

Not many people could.

“And is organ transplant an option?” Yusei asked, though he doubted it if the doctors didn’t suggest it

"No. Lung cancer makes me a poor candidate for the procedure." Vector said softly.

“Mmm…” Yusei sat down and sighed. “… I’m sorry..."

"It was a good suggestion, Uncle." Vector said with a small sigh. He put his arm around his uncle gently to comfort him.

"I'll try and come see you as often as I can...and you can come see us whenever you want too, okay?" He said softly.

Yusei rolled his eyes. “I’m not the old man dying, you are. I should be comforting you.” He sighed, leaning his forehead on his nephew’s shoulder. Vector was his only family left. Even with Judai still around, he knew that life would be… a lot emptier without Vector lurking around, working with him on some project or another.

Vector pouted a bit.

"I'm not old..." He muttered, but he knew that wasn't really a good thing. He wasn't even 30 yet and he was slowly dying. His mother made it past 30, but not very far. Would he even make 30? He kept his thoughts to himself, holding Yusei and resting his head against his uncle's. He glanced at Takashi almost to make sure he was still there. He wasn't really being included so far.

Takashi smiled, just watching them. He didn’t mind. It was time for him and Yusei to just enjoy their bond, and mourn and celebrate Vector while he was here. He was used to being the observer. He was fine.

Vector smiled back at Takashi, glad that he understood. He just continued to let Yusei react however he wanted. He smiled to himself.

"One of the things I wanted to do was go back to Neo Domino again and see Mikage. Did you wanna come this time too?" Vector asked.

“… Eh… I have shop business but I think I can schedule a holiday or something. I kinda haven’t been to the city since we last went together a few years ago… It’ll be nice to be legally hanging around there.” Yusei said.

"Same with me. I've wanted to go back and show Takashi around for awhile anyway." Vector said with a smile. He nodded.

"It's up to you. We'll definitely be legally there...though I still might wear a bulletproof vest next time I visit the graveyard..." Vector mused with a shudder.

Yusei frowned. “Don’t even joke about that kid. We’ll be careful, alright? No risks. Geeze, you keep reminding me how your lifespan just gets shorter and shorter."

Vector sighed.

"Yeah, yeah it's okay. I'll be careful. I'm sorry." He said.

"I still wanna go to the graveyard though."

“Yeah… I didn’t say we won’t go, just being careful."

“I'll be careful Uncle...” Vector mused, rolling his eyes and smiling.  

“When do you want to go see Mikage anyway?"

“I'm not sure...as soon as I can, I guess.  Takashi and I don't have any fixed schedules, and Takashi can work from anywhere as long as there's internet access.”  Vector said with a smile, before he sighed and his face dropped a bit.

“...I have to call Mikage...and ask when I can see her.  And also well...to tell her about...how I'm doing.”  He said.

“Sure thing. Just let me know so I can organise times and stuff,” Yusei nodded.

“Of course.”  Vector said, before pausing to cough a bit.  He hated these little coughing fits he had.

“Hey, have some tea,” Takashi frowned, picking the warm cup up. “Take it easy… Don’t talk so much at once.”

Vector nodded, calming from his coughing fit and sipping some tea.  He sighed.

“Thanks...”  He said, leaning against Takashi's shoulder for a moment to rest.  

Yusei sighed. “… At least I know you’re in good hands, Vector."

Vector smiled, cuddling against Takashi.  

“I'm in the best hands.” He agreed.

Takashi blushed. “Mmm…”

“Feel free to stay for dinner. Judai is coming over but I can always tell him to not come if you’re not up for company.”

“Did you wanna stay and visit more with Uncle and Judai?  It's okay with me, unless you don't want to...”  Vector asked Takashi, up for whatever.

“We just got here, I’m sure we can stay,” Takashi smiled. “I haven’t seen Judai in a while though… Do you want to tell him about… You know…” His face dropped a bit.

Vector smiled.  

“Okay, then we'll stay...and yeah, I haven't seen Judai in awhile either...”  He said, face falling  a bit.

“Might as well...”  He mused with a sigh.

“He’s family too, after all,” Takashi shrugged. Vector smiled at the notion.

“I take it I’m not being lazy and ordering pizza. I’ll cook. Any preference?” He asked, glancing at the time. Judai would be barrelling in soon.

“Anything you wanna cook is fine...doesn't matter to us.”  Vector said, resting with Takashi and waiting for Hurricane Judai to come barreling into the room as he usually did.  He didn't have to wait long, because moments later the door swung open and Judai rushed in carrying a small carton of food (he didn't want to leave all the cooking to Yusei) and grinning widely.

“Yusei, I'm here!”  He called, before spotting Vector and Takashi.

“Oh hey guys!  How's it going!  I haven't seen you two in ages!”  He exclaimed, rushing over to hug them.  Vector chuckled.

“Likewise.”

“They’re staying for dinner. It was short notice,” Yusei muttered as his partner rolled in. Takashi laughed, hugging Judai back.

“How have you been?"

“Okay!  That's fine by me! I brought enough food here for tons of people!”  Judai said to Yusei, getting up after hugging the two on the couch to hug and kiss his boyfriend happily.  

“I've been doing just fine! Busy at work with Yubel and all, but it's all good with me!”  He exclaimed, opening up the tub of dinner rolls and special salad he'd made.  

“How've you two been?” Judai asked Takashi and Vector. Vector hesitated, not wanting to say anything to bring down the mood at this point.

“You always bring so much food; I have to give it to the boys downstairs so I don’t waste it all,” Yusei said, letting Judai kiss him. He went to get plates and the men all sat around the coffee table so Vector didn’t have to move.

“I’ve been fine for most part. I’ve completed a personal project and got a bonus from one of my customers, and catching up with friends. Same old,” Takashi said, knowing that Vector would tell in his time.

“I'm just used to cooking for a whole bar full of hungry guys!  But it's a good thing I did, cause otherwise I wouldn't have had enough for Vector and Takashi!”  Judai said with a grin.  He nodded at Takashi's statement.

“Good job, Takashi! You're really raking in the dough huh?” Judai beamed.  Vector rolled his eyes.

“He has to, since I don't work anymore...”  Vector said with a smile, snuggling up to Takashi.

“To be fair, he eats like a bar of hungry guys,” Takashi offered, chuckling. Yusei snorted at that.

“It’s not much but it’s a lot better than when I was a cop, that’s for sure. There’s always jobs with rising globalisation and computer sciences. You just need to know where to look,” Takashi smiled, a little embarrassed with the praise.

“And there's a guy downstairs who eats like a bar full of hungry guys too.”  Vector mused, thinking of Yuuma.  Judai laughed and grinned.

“Yeah!  You two are both computer nerds!  How about you, Vector?  Any computer projects?”  He asked. Vector shrugged.

“I'm just working on one big one...but it's a secret project, so that's all I can share.”  He said.  Judai pouted.

“Aww come on!  What is it?  A hack?”  Vector shook his head no, zipping his lips with a smile.  Judai pouted more.

“Vector said he wouldn’t hack anymore,” Takashi said, “It’s going to be something big though, he wouldn’t even tell me.” He rolls his eyes at that.

“Well trust he knows what he’s doing,” Yusei added

“I am.”

“Right~  It will be~”  Vector cooed happily, snuggling up against Takashi again.  Judai sighed.

“Well, if it's blondie, he knows what he's doing and it'll be something spectacular.  Can't wait to see!”  Judai exclaimed.

“Well… no point letting the food go to waste, let’s eat,” Takashi smiled. “Itadakimasu,”

Yusei grunted the same in response before he began to eat.

“Itadakimasu.”  Vector agreed, digging in.  Judai beamed and said the same before devouring what was on his plate.  

“So you guys were just visiting Yusei and decided to stay?”  Judai asked, not sure what had brought the couple here to begin with. Vector sighed.

“I had to tell Uncle something...that's all...”  Judai frowned.

“What's up, blondie?” He asked, noting how Vector's general disposition wasn't as happy as before now.  He also noted that Yusei and Takashi didn't look too happy anymore either. They knew something he didn't.

“Do you want me to explain?” Takashi asked gently.

Vector sighed and shook his head.

"I can..." He said, taking a breath before continuing.

"I had a checkup yesterday...basically, the cure isn't working like it should...and my cancer will come back. Eventually...and nothing can stop it once it does..." Judai's eyes widened.

"No way...so you're actually...dying from it? But I thought this treatment thing was supposed to be a cure...?" Judai asked, looking to anyone for answers. Yusei had told him it was a cure made by Jack.

Yusei balled a fist. “It’s… just not working for Vector. I’m gonna go talk to the doctors, they won’t give up. Hopefully they’ll tailor a cure to Vector like Jack did.”

“The cancer strain is rather unpredictable. It wasn’t detected early, so it’s more severe in Vector,” Takashi sighed

"Yeah! Your dad made stuff didn't he? They have to use that cure properly!" Judai exclaimed. Vector frowned.

"But we gave them what Dad had...that was his little 'tailored cure'...sort of." Vector said with a sigh. He was mentally kicking himself because he hadn't gone earlier to the doctor. It really was his fault wasn't it...Takashi was right.

“Tailored to his mother, which just coincidentally has the same kind as Kaito. Kaito’s blindness is exclusive to his family- there are different effects from GEPD,” Takashi sighed.

“…” Yusei looked at his nephew, unsure what to say.

"Yeah...if I remember right, Mom never had it in her lungs..." Vector murmured, not really feeling hungry or talkative anymore. Judai noticed too, feeling bad for the young man.

"Do you know how much time you have?" He asked softly. Vector shrugged half-heartedly, indicating he really didn't know.

“We’re trying to not think of that. We only found out recently,” Takashi sighed, putting a comforting hand on Vector’s knee.

"Ah, okay...I understand." Judai said. Vector put his hand over Takashi's and squeezed it gently. He leaned his head against Takashi's shoulder, wanting more comfort and appreciating his presence.

Vector seemed more quiet and subdued, and more touchy than ever. Takashi didn’t mind though… he wanted to savor all he had left of his partner.

Vector felt the same. He just wanted to enjoy what time he had left with not only Takashi, but also the rest of his family and friends. At the same time though...the more people he told about his condition, the worse he felt about it.  He felt sad that he wasn't going to be around much longer, as well as guilty for burdening his friends and family with the news that he was dying sooner than expected.  

“If you ever need anything...like I don't know, help with your project or something, blondie, let me know!”  Judai said, trying to brighten the mood.  Vector couldn't help but snort a bit.

“Since when have you ever done anything with computers?”  He asked. Judai beamed.  

“Well...I'm probably better at using them than I am at motorbiking...right Yusei?”  He mused, recalling multiple instances of vehicle accidents and his license being revoked.

The rest of the dinner was relatively uneventful and not nearly as sad because the topics changed frequently enough (thanks to Judai). Even so, Vector still felt a bit depressed. He didn't eat much and spoke very little, choosing instead to lean against Takashi.

Finally it was getting late and it was time to head home. Yusei escorted them out before frowning as he noticed the rain that had started while they were eating.

"Did you want to borrow an umbrella? The last thing either of you need is a cold." He said.

Takashi frowned and nodded. “Yeah, I think that would be good. I knew it would be cold but I didn’t hear it would rain today… Looks like it’s going to pour too.”

“Yeah… I’ll crash here, Yusei.” Judai frowned, “You guys can too, if you want.”

“It’s fine. We just need to hurry and beat the rain. I have stuff I need to do tomorrow morning at homeanyway."

Vector nodded in agreement to Takashi's statement. Yusei sighed and nodded.

"Alright. I'll see you two later...lemme know how things are going, okay?" He said, mostly addressing Vector. Vector managed a small smile.

"I will...thanks for supper, guys."

“Yeah, thanks. See you soon,” Takashi smiled. He took the umbrella from Yusei and waved before leading Vector slowly out, heading through the empty garage to the darkened night.

“Hopefully we won’t have to wait for the bus in the rain.”

Vector waved too, letting Takashi lead him out. He held his arm gently, looking up at the sky.

"We might just beat it...it's hard to say." Vector mused.

“It’s been a while since it rained… It’s getting to that time of year, heh?” Takashi said, leading them forward.

"True...I don't mind the rain though." Vector mused. He frowned as he started to feel a couple of raindrops.

"We may not beat it...did you feel that?"

“Yeah…” Takashi pulled the umbrella out and smiled. “Oh well. We can survive,” He laughed, stopping at their stop.

"Yes, we can." Vector said, staying close to Takashi as the other put up the umbrella so that he would be covered. Their bus came by and they hopped on. Vector frowned as he looked out the window.

"Wow it's getting worse now..." He mused.

“Yeah… probably will have to dash for home.” Takashi grimaced. “Should have taken the car."

Vector nodded, thinking things over. On one hand, he was still not feeling great inside due to the guilt he felt about his illness...but on the other, rain could be romantic...he smiled.

"Once we get home, we might have to cuddle for warmth..." He cooed softly, giving Takashi a slightly seductive look.

Takashi looked at him and blushed a little, still not used to that sultry look after all these years. However, he took to it as Vector teasing him.

“Probably… With all of the heaters on after a hot bath,” he smiled.

Vector grinned as Takashi blushed, very pleased that he could still do that. It was one thing he'd have to be sure to maximize.

"That sounds nice..." He mused, pulling the cord for their stop and waiting for Takashi to put up the umbrella before stepping out into the rain arm and arm with Takashi into the rain. He was formulating a plan in his mind that he could execute when they got closer to home.

Thankfully the walk back wasn’t too far. Takashi made sure to be quick and yet keep a pace Vector could managed, one arm around Vector as he kept him close under the umbrella.

“Cold…” he muttered

Vector cuddled close against Takashi for warmth as they walked.

"Let me take the umbrella while you get the keys." Vector said once they reached their house. He knew Takashi only had one good hand after all. He couldn't hold the umbrella and dig for keys at the same time.

That was very true. Takashi passed the umbrella and went for the keys in his pocket.

“Thanks."

"No problem." Vector said, accepting the umbrella and then dropping it accidentally on purpose moments before Takashi unlocked the door. Both of them were almost instantly soaked, and Vector chuckled. All according to plan!

"Oh dear...were both soaking wet now..." He mused after picking up the umbrella again.

"We'll have to get out of these wet clothes, huh, Takashi~? Better make it fast too~?" He cooed seductively.

“GAH! Vector!” Takashi yelled, feeling chilled to the bone. He fumbled with the keys before shoving them in, a bit on edge, not noticing that the deed had been on purpose.

“Ah… Quick… Inside… You’re coughing as it is. Let’s not catch a cold,” the frazzled man said, ushering his partner in.

Vector pouted a bit as he was quickly shoved inside the house, but he smirked as the door was closed. He stripped his soaked shirt off on the spot and pressed his lips against Takashi's to stop him from freaking out.

"Warm me up then?" He whispered seductively once he parted.

Takashi jumped as he felt Vector’s warm lips against his and his cheeks turned red despite the cold. He was at a loss for a bit, gaping dumbly before he shook his head.

“Vector… We shouldn’t… We’ll both get sick.” He murmured, even though he hadn’t done anything heated with Vector in ages.

Vector smirked, already starting to take off Takashi's wet shirt for him.

"But you're warmer already...the bed will be even warmer, right?" Vector cooed.

"Either way, these clothes have to come off..."

Takashi bit his lip, knowing it would be irresponsible to not at least dry off. However, Vector had the ability to make him deaf to his own brain and he began gently kissing him back, dropping his wet clothes onto the floor.

“You’re something else, you know…” He muttered, barely able to hear himself talk over the torrent of rain and the crackling thunder.

Vector smirked wider as Takashi agreed through kissing him.

"You tell me that a lot..." He mused once they parted, kicking his shoes and socks off and waiting for Takashi to do the same before going to the bedroom.

“Because you are,” The man murmured as he pulled him towards bed, thankful to get out of the cold. He was freezing, but he pulled Vector on the bed and pulled the cover over him.

Vector closed the door so that Umbral couldn't disturb them, before climbing into bed with Takashi, pressing his naked and slightly damp body against him, snuggling under the covers with a smile.  He hugged him, kissing Takashi more to turn him on.  

“I love you...”  He whispered.

Takashi blushed, and leaned over to switch on the bedside lamp so he could see his partner. He kissed him softly, running his fingers through Vector’s wet hair.

“I love you too."

Vector snuggled closer, melting into the kiss and holding Takashi gently.  He ran his fingers over his partner's hair too, wanting to memorize his form.  At the same time, he gently started rolling his hips, grinding their crotches together to make them both feel good.  He moaned softly as he did.

Takashi keened against Vector. It had been so long since they had done anything like this, and even though this evening had been rather gloomy, doing this only felt so right. He rubbed back against him, hands unable to decide whether they wanted to keep running through the stubble that was Vector’s hair or to go down his too-thin form.

Vector was glad that Takashi was game, having to pull away from the kiss to breathe for a second. He smiled to let Takashi know he was okay, nuzzling their noses together gently.  Vector let his hands explore Takashi's body, playfully tickling his sides with his gentle touch.  

Takashi chuckled and laughed quietly as he and Vector rubbed noses and tilted his head back so he could kiss his partner’s nose. He loved him so much.

“Lube is in the drawer on my bad side. Do you wanna grab it for me?"

Vector giggled too as Takashi chuckled and kissed his nose.  He loved how sweet Takashi was, and it was always so much fun to play with him this way.  

“Yeah, sure.”  Vector said, kissing Takashi's cheek before rolling over to grab it from the drawer.  

“What do you feel like doing today?  Doesn't matter to me...”  Vector said, once he rolled back with the lube bottle to cuddle next to Takashi.

“I don’t know… Do you have energy to top? Or I can and we can take it slow,” Takashi said, rolling over onto his side.

“Hmmm...maybe you should top. I don't wanna wear myself out too much.” Vector mused, kissing Takashi's cheek and cuddling him before opening up the lube bottle so he could give some to Takashi.

“Alright…” Takashi smiled. “You want to do it? Put it on, I mean,” he blushed, still a little awkward asking.

Vector chuckled at Takashi's blush, smirking.

“Sure thing...I'll get you ready, baby.”  He cooed into Takashi's ear before nibbling it playfully.  He rubbed his lube-covered hands together and began gently massaging Takashi's cock, wanting to coat it fully while still pleasuring him.

Takashi gave a small moan and covered his mouth. He knew Vector preferred making himself busy, so he let him do this. With his good hand, he petted Vector’s head, feeling his cock be lathered up and harden fully.

Vector kissed Takashi's cheek, finding it cute how he covered his mouth.  He smiled and cooed.

“Does it feel good~?” He whispered, continuing to massage Takashi, teasing him gently by playing with his tip.  

Takashi nodded. “Y-yeah… Ahhh… Vector…” It felt so good… despite the cold, he was really feeling warm now. The storm outside and the pouring rain couldn’t compare to the beat of Takashi’s heart at the moment. “Vector…”

“I love you...I want you to feel good...”  Vector cooed, cuddling Takashi before gently taking his hand.  

“You're ready...now get me ready, okay?”  He said, kissing Takashi's hand gently before putting some lube on it for him.

“Alright…” Takashi kissed him on the head and smiled. “You want to lie down on your back or front?"

“Back.”  Vector said instantly, rolling onto his back next to Takashi so that the other could have full access to him unhindered.  He smiled.  

“I wanna be able to see your face without having to break my back or neck through twisting.”  He joked with a chuckle.

“I don’t think that’s possible. You’ll sprain it at best,” Takashi chuckled, moving his hand down, fingers touching the tip of Vector’s cock before slowly sliding down to his rectum, teasing it.

“Either way...”  Vector murmured with a smile, having to pause to moan a bit as Takashi touched him.  He spread his legs so that Takashi would have full access.

Takashi smiled and kissed Vector, fingering him slowly despite the burn between his legs. It was rare they did this, so he wanted to make it good. After all, who knew when it would be their last?

Vector kissed Takashi back, gently wrapping his legs around Takashi's hips as he was fingered.  He let out small little groans as he got used to the feeling, which wasn't entirely painful, but occasionally uncomfortable until his body adjusted.  He was relaxed regardless, which made things easier.  At the moment, he wasn't even thinking about whether this would be their last time having sex, or even about his cancer.  He was successfully distracted by Takashi.

Takashi kissed him over and over again, scissoring Vector thoroughly. His fingers reached deep inside Vector, the man purposefully looking for his partner’s prostate.

Vector continued kissing Takashi, moaning as Takashi stretched him.  He could feel how deeply Takashi was going, before letting out a small cry and squeezing his thighs a bit as Takashi finally brushed his prostate with his fingers.  

“Ah...Takashi...”  He moaned.

Takashi smiled as he saw Vector react to the sensitive bunch of nerve. He laughed against Vector’s skin and kept stretching him, adding fingers in until he was sure Vector wouldn’t be hurt too badly.

“Ready?"

“Ah...”  Vector groaned as he was continually stretched and pleasured, until sighing as Takashi spoke again.

“Yeah...I'm ready...” He said softly, smiling.

Takashi pulled his fingers out and wiped them on the bedcover before he positioned himself, the blanket slipping off almost in time to the thunder. He lined up before slowly pushed in. “Just tell me if I need to stop."

“Sure...”  Vector groaned, kissing Takashi gently as Takashi pushed in slowly.

Takashi held Vector’s legs and began thrusting, slowly at first to get a feel before he began properly fucking his boyfriend, moving to find a rhythm.

Vector moaned softly as Takashi moved, holding Takashi close with his legs.  He moaned louder as Takashi sped up.

“Ah...Takashi...!” Vector moaned.

“Vector!” The storm crashed overhead, like the heavens were shaken by their union, but Takashi didn’t care. With nothing but love and care in his eyes, he thrust faster into his partner, his limp hand resting in Vector’s as he held Vector’s hips with his good one. “Vector!”

Vector could see Takashi's face and eyes, happy that his partner was with him.  He could hear the thunder and lightning crashing overhead, but Takashi was calling his name loud enough to be heard over that.  Takashi was what he could focus on.  Vector writhed, squeezing Takashi's hand hard as the other picked up his pace.  He moaned loudly with every thrust.  

“Takashi...oh, AH!” Vector cried out especially loudly when Takashi's thrusts finally found his prostate.  

Takashi couldn’t feel how tight Vector was squeezing, and perhaps that was a blessing. He held the man back, hands causing welts in Vector’s sides. “Vector… Ahhh” He pushed harder, faster, doing what he could. Letting the moment consume them both was what he wanted… what they both loved.

The slight pain he felt in his hips was suppressed by the pleasure Vector felt all over.  He moaned louder than ever as Takashi picked up the pace yet again.  All he cared about was Takashi.  He cried out again and again as Takashi continued slamming into his prostate, his erection straining as he felt heat tightening in his chest.  He wasn't going to last much longer, even though he wanted to continue feeling this pleasure forever. Vector clung to Takashi as best he could, through clenching his legs to press Takashi deeper into him, and squeezing his hand and holding the man's body against his.  

“Takashi...AH~”  Vector cried out, finally cumming hard against both their stomachs, breathing heavily as he continued to cling to Takashi.

Takashi’s breath curled on Vector’s skin, his face so close to his neck as he kept thrusting. He could still go a little longer, and he did so, putting all of himself into pleasuring his partner like all of him. Takashi kept his steady rhythm, gasping as he felt Vector tighten underneath him and release.

He kept going but a lot more slowly, being easier on Vector until he felt his limit. He leaned close to Vector and moaned.

“Phecda~ Ahhhh~”

Vector held Takashi close, continually moaning as Takashi kept pounding into him. He was grateful for Takashi taking it slower now and letting him feel the prolonged pleasure. He let out a loud moan as Takashi came and smiled a bit, breathing heavily as he relaxed.

"Takashi...thank you..." He said, kissing his cheek.

Takashi smiled. He pulled out and threw the covers over them, wanting to keep the warmth. “Hey… it’s fine. I love you.”

Vector smiled, letting out a small groan as Takashi pulled out. Since he'd gone fast, Vector felt a bit sore. But regardless he was happy as he curled up to Takashi's side. He snuggled against him and sighed.

"I love you too..." He cooed, almost drifting off to sleep in Takashi's arms when he heard a loud meow and scratching at the door between the sounds of the rain and thunder.

"...Did you hear that?" He asked.

Takashi was almost ready to go and sleep with Vector when he also heard the small scratching that had started. It took him a moment before he realised who that was and he laughed.

“Must be Umbral. He’s probably scared of the storm. I’ll let him in the room.”

"Awww poor kitty." Vector mused. He stayed lying in bed as Takashi went to open the door for Umbral. As soon as it was open, Umbral burst into the room and jumped up onto the bed, curling up against Vector, trembling slightly as he meowed in fear. Vector chuckled and stroked the cat.

"There there...it's okay.”

It was very cold and Takashi chucked the heater on before hurrying back to bed. He couldn’t be bothered with clothes but he leaned and grabbed an extra blanket from under the bed, putting it over the three of them.

“Must have never been in a storm before, I’ve never seen him like this.”

Vector smiled.

"I guess not." Vector mused, petting the cat and gently shushing him. It seemed to be working, since Umbral felt safest with his master. He was curled under the covers and against Vector's chest.

Takashi smiled. He kissed Vector’s forehead and laid there, looking at his partner. “…”

Vector smiled, glancing at Takashi and curling up against him while keeping Umbral comfortable between them.

"We're all together...this is nice."

Takashi nodded. “Yeah… our little family. It’s nice."

Vector smiled.

"It's nice to have a family..." He said, smiling as Umbral meowed softly.

“Yeah… it is…”

Vector smiled, snuggling up against Takashi, holding him close while still keeping Umbral safe between them.  As he drifted off to sleep, he could only hope that he would stay healthy and happy for a long time to come.  

-x-

Fuuya had been spending his time outside of prison well in Yamikawa's absence.  He'd re-familiarized himself with the city at first, before preparing a resume to the best of his ability and applying for jobs.  It was hard, because people didn't like his criminal record, lack of experience in anything but his acting job, and lack of formal education (he'd been homeschooled).  

Regardless, he was happy to be out.  He liked Droite's house too, and although he didn't see her too long lately due to her busy policework, he was grateful for the few times he could see her.  He'd learned her schedule and knew she'd have tonight off, so he decided he would surprise her with a prepared dinner. Fuuya knew how to cook, thankfully, so he prepared a meal for her, including setting the table nicely.  He was very grateful to her and wanted to show it.

Droite’s life had slowly gone back to a routine. Although there were cases and disturbances she had to cover, with the death of Vector and the closure of the Dark Signer case, life seemed almost peaceful. The woman was just finishing cleaning up her work station, and then she would go back home to where Maya’s son was.  

Fuuya was different to the woman she had fallen in love with. While both were kind, Fuuya was quiet and shy, contrasting his mother’s almost boisterous personality. Often Droite didn’t know what to say around him, although she went out of her way to be kind and help out. She wasn’t expecting much from the young man, which made her feel guilty sometimes, since it felt like she was more helping Maya’s shadow than Fuuya himself.

“… I’m home,” Droite called, opening the door when she had arrived home.

Fuuya had prepared supper, perking up when he heard Droite come in.  He came in to greet her, carrying some dishes to set the table with. He smiled as he saw her.

“Welcome home...I made supper, if you're hungry.”  He said, before speeding off to put the dishes on the table that he'd set nicely.

“Oh?” It smelt good in here. Usually they bought food or Droite cooked, since Fuuya was out job hunting, but this was a pleasant surprise. “Wow… Thanks..."

Fuuya smiled as he came back into the room.  

“It's not a problem. I'm happy to help around here when I can.”  Fuuya said.

“Supper's pretty much ready...you can have a seat and I'll bring it out to the table.”  Fuuya said, before ducking into the kitchen to get the food.

“Oh wow…” Droite put her bag down and sat at the table, wondering when the last time she did this at home. Usually she was catering for someone else, not the other way round.

Fuuya smiled to himself as he pulled the relatively simple recipe of ham out of the oven.  He had made noodles to accompany it, in an old recipe that his mother had taught him.  He didn't know if she had ever made it for Droite or not, but either way, it was fun to make.  Fuuya brought it in on a tray so he could take both at once.  

“Here you go...I made lots so we'll probably have leftovers.”  He noted.

Droite had had this before. She looked at it and then up at Fuuya and smiled. “That’s good. I like this dish,” she said softly.

Fuuya smiled a bit too.

“That's good...I wasn't sure if you had eaten it before or not.  I'm glad you like it.”  Fuuya said, sitting down across from her.

“Itadakimasu,” Droite said quietly before she began to eat it. She nibbled on a little before her eyes widened. “Wow… It’s really good.”

"Itadakimasu." Fuuya said, digging in as well.  He smiled as Droite said she liked it.

"I'm glad! I haven't cooked in awhile...I'm happy I still remember how." He mused.

“It’s better than how your mum used to make it,” The woman commented, stopping when she realised what she had said.

Fuuya blinked, blushing a bit and biting his lip. He looked down and smiled shakily.

"...Thank you. I didn't think I could ever make it as good as she did..." He murmured.

The woman put her fork down. “Sorry… I didn’t mean to bring her up.” Droite said, looking at the man.

Fuuya forced a bigger smile as he looked up at Droite.

"It's alright...I did make something she did, so it's to be expected." He said.

The name wasn’t a taboo butstill it brought tension between them. Droite sighed. “Still… You cooked it.” She offered almost awkwardly

"Yeah...she taught me." Fuuya said with a smile. He liked remembering those things, but it also made him miss her more. He sighed.

"How was work today?" He asked, wanting to change the subject.

Droite was thankful for the cue. “Fine…. A few cases and dealings, nothing too exciting,” Droite said. “Mostly checking on reports of disturbances."

Fuuya smiled and nodded.

“Well, I guess it's a good thing that it's not too exciting...must mean crime is generally slowing down.”  He noted.

“It is…” The woman said, going back to her food, looking at Fuuya as if to ask permission when she did so. “Maybe things can become somewhat normal in this crazy town. How’s the job hunt?"

Fuuya nodded with a small smile.  He didn't mind that Droite was going back to her food.  He had made it for her after all.  

“Maybe...that would be nice.” He mused, before sighing.

“Not good...employers don't like that I don't have any experience in 'real jobs', my lack of formal education and my criminal record.”  He said.

“And your criminal record states you ‘officially’ have mental health issues, even though that’s been debunked.” Droite muttered.

Fuuya sighed.

"Yes, that too. But I think what concerns them most is the record itself. I was in prison for a long time..." Fuuya murmured.

"I might just take a break soon...maybe go see how Kawa is doing with Rokujuro-san."

“That sounds like a good idea… You could probably get a job in the dojo if you need.” Droite responded. “I’m sure Rokujuro-san will take you in.”

"Maybe...but with Kawa there already, there isn't much that needs to be done. I could take supplies to them occasionally for pay, but that would be it." Fuuya said.

“Mmmm… Jobs in Heartland are hard to come by. It’s a fast-paced city, after all…” Droite murmured.

Fuuya nodded.

"I never really realized how hard it really was until I had to try finding one for myself." He mused. He sighed.

"I'll find something though..."

“Yes, I know you will. You just need to play to your strengths,” Droite said, smiling.

"Yes...though I'm not always sure what my strengths are. I'm not that strong really...I just know how to put on a face." Fuuya said.

“Small time acting? Or theatre? You could always go back to school, if need be. There are educational facilities that would take you regardless,” Droite said, trying to think for her friend’s sake.

"Hmm...maybe. Acting might be fun, I suppose. I've only ever done one role, so I don't know how I would do in any others." Fuuya said with a small smile.

"School is expensive though...I would need money first."

“Mmm… It’s tough. I always said we need better transitioning programs from prison but no one listens.” Droite sighed. “I’m sorry. “

"It's alright Droite. It's not your fault. You've done a lot for me already...things are easier than they could have been for me thanks to you." He said with a smile.

Droite smiled. “It’s the least I can do. What’s the point of being an officer if I can’t help people”

Fuuya smiled.

"You're a great officer Droite. Thank you for all you've done for me and for Kawa."

“Again, I said don’t worry. Praise isn’t really what I’m looking for, Fuuya,” Droite smiled.

"Ah I know I know! I just...am grateful." Fuuya said, flushing a bit and looking away shyly.

That reminded her of when Maya did it. There were times where Droite acted childish and teased her older girlfriend until she was blushing and shyly avoiding eye contact. Droite’s smile saddened but remained a smile. “Don’t sell yourself short, Fuuya, alright?”

Fuuya didn't really notice that he'd done anything odd.  Being shy was just part of who he was, and his learned mannerisms were from his mother. Fuuya smiled at Droite.

"I'll try not to." He said, eating some more of the food.

Droite hated thinking that Fuuya was anything like his mother. It didn’t feel right, or fair to Fuuya, but she couldn’t help it. The only relief was that she wasn’t attracted to Fuuya, but even still…

“Mmm…” She sighed

Fuuya finished in silence, enjoying the meal. He smiled at Droite.

"I can clean up things! You go relax."

“Hm? No it’s fine. It will be faster if we work together,” Droite said.

"No, you can rest! I can do this." Fuuya assured her happily.

“Alright,” she laughed quietly and smiled. “If you say so.”

Fuuya grinned, clearing the dishes happily. He likes doing this sort of thing for Droite. He owed her after all.

Droite wasn’t used to such pampering but she figured a shower would do her some good. She got up and after murmuring a thanks, she went upstairs to bathe.

Fuuya washed the dishes in the sink as Droite showered upstairs.  He put away the plates, cups and cutlery in the drawers and lower cabinets. But there were a few of the nicer bowls he'd used to put out food in that went in the higher shelves.  He'd dug them out for this little occasion and would have to put them back.  The shelves were so high up that he had to get a chair again to put them away.  

As he was sliding the last bowl inside, he heard a dull thud and spotted something brown and thin falling out of the cabinet.  He wasn't able to catch it before it clattered onto the countertop.

“Oops..”  He winced, recognizing the face down brown object as a picture frame.  He wondered why Droite had a picture so high up in a cupboard.  No one would see it up there.  Fuuya knelt down and picked it up, turning it over to make sure it wasn't broken.  He froze with wide eyes as his eyes rested on the picture.  

It was a picture of his mother.  He was surprised, since other than the small picture Droite had shown him from her wallet, he hadn't seen any other pictures of his mother around.  He had partially expected it to be honest...it was probably too painful for Droite to look at all those pictures of her.  His mother was smiling happily into the camera, her green eyes sparkling with life and happiness.  Fuuya vaguely wondered if Droite was the one taking it, and that was why she looked so happy.  It was a nice picture...but at the same time, Fuuya felt a small clench of guilt and sadness as he looked at it.  He missed his mother...

Feeling unsteady, he stumbled off the chair only to curl up against the countertop with his mother's picture, trying very hard (and failing) not to cry.

Droite enjoyed a nice warm shower as she always would, feeling particularly good about the day’s events and the lovely surprise at home. The shadow of guilt hung over her shoulder though, from bringing Maya up at dinner. At least it was all forgiven, but Fuuya’s sensitivity was just… Fuuya was an emotional man; she couldn’t imagine what strength he had to kept it under wraps in prison.

After getting changed into her nightgown and drying her hair, Droite headed down to check on Fuuya and get water for herself. However as soon as she walked into the room, she saw the crying man holding a photo frame.

“… Fuuya?” She asked softly, coming closer.

Fuuya hadn't really realized that the sounds of the shower upstairs had turned off, too wrapped up in his own feelings.  He didn't notice Droite until she called out to him.  And then he felt a bit ashamed.  He shouldn't be doing this every time....he knew he shouldn't...but he couldn't help it.  Suppressing it in prison had been hard enough, and he felt he had several years worth of sadness to just let out.  He lifted his head, scrubbing at his eyes and sniffling to try and calm himself.  

“...Hey...”  He managed to say, still trying to compose himself from where he sat on the floor.  He turned the picture so Droite could see it.

“Sorry...it fell from...the cupboard...it's a bit cracked...I didn't mean to break it...”  He murmured.

Droite looked at the photo and she sighed, recognising it immediately. She offered Fuuya a seat at the countertop and sat at on one of the stools.

“No… It’s alright. It’s an old photo frame, but it’s replaceable,” she muttered. She went to put her hand on Fuuya’s shoulder. “… You can let it out, it’s alright. You must miss her so much.”

Fuuya stood, still holding the photograph, and sat at the countertop with Droite.  

“Okay...if you say so...” He said.  He sniffled a bit.  

“Yeah...I do...but I shouldn't...I shouldn't be like this...”  Because it was weak and pathetic, he mentally finished.  Prison mentality reminded him of that.

“… There’s nothing weak about remembering someone you love. It's not a crime, Fuuya…” Droite murmured.

Fuuya smiled a bit, nodding.

“I know...but I still don't think...she'd want me crying so much...”  He murmured, even though his eyes were watering more as he thought about his mother scolding him.  Even though he hadn't particularly liked it most of the time, it still showed him that she had loved him.  She had done it because she cared.

“Yeah… She never liked me doing it much either. One time, she found me crying and she snapped me back up as if she was my own mother,” Droite said, giving Fuuya’s shoulder a comforting squeeze.

Fuuya managed a small watery chuckle.  

“She did that to people she loved a lot...”  He murmured. He was grateful for Droite's presence.

Droite smiled. “Your mother was always the serious woman. You should have seen the first time I saw her smile. I thought I was dreaming.”  

Fuuya chuckled a bit more, glancing at the picture.

“Her smile was nice...it's a shame not many people saw it, but at the same time...that makes it even more special if you were someone who did see it...”  Fuuya said.

“Mmm… She’s been gone for so long, but it feels like that she was only here yesterday, walking around,” Droite murmured.

“Yeah...”  Fuuya said, feeling a bit better after talking a bit.

“Why was this picture so high up in the cupboards anyway?  It's a nice picture...people should be able to see it...”  He mused.  

“Well… Gauche put it there for me. I used to cry all the time over her picture, and even though I let go of the past, I still wanted her here, just… needed her out of reach.”

"Ah...well is it okay if we put her down here again? I just think it's a shame no one can see it...it's a nice picture of her." Fuuya said.

“We’ll replace the broken photo frame and we can… I mean… Running from the past…” She sighed and smiled. “Is never good. We need to move to the future."

"Yeah. That sounds good." Fuuya said with a smile, placing the picture on the counter for now.

"Thank you for talking with me Droite..."

“No problem,” Droite smiled, “I’m glad we could talk about it… Talking to someone was nice..."

"Yeah, it was. In the past, I could only talk to Kawa...but he never knew her, so it was different...nice, but not quite what I needed..." He mused. He smiled.

"We can talk whenever...it's nice to share memories with someone."

“mmm…” Droite agreed. It was like that for Droite and Gauche. Having Fuuya here was like she could properly mourn, “We should go rest up now…”

"Sure...sounds good. I'm going to wash up first." Fuuya said with a smile, getting up.

"Thanks, Droite."

“No problem…” She smiled.

-x-

Astral was happy.  He had been happy for the past few days after he had eaten at the BARian with Yuuma, Shark and Yuuya.  It had been great to see his friends, but it had been even more wonderful to speak to Kaito, and to tell him that he was alright.  He couldn't wait to see him again...it had been enough time surely for Haruto to have recovered enough to be less worried. Hopefully, they could get together and go out someplace.  

Astral had gotten a cell phone, which he used to call Kaito's cell.  He was smiling to himself in excitement as he did so.

Kaito didn’t really see the need to go home since Haruto was at the hospital, so more often than not, he was there. Kaito answered his vibrating mobile quickly, since Haruto was sound asleep.

“Hello?"

“Kaito...how are you doing?” Astral asked softly, smiling a bit wider as he heard Kaito's voice again.

“I was wondering...if we could see each other today.”  

“Ah… Kibou… was it?” Kaito said, having a mental blank on Astral’s new fake name. “Hi…”

“Um… Yeah, I guess so. I’m at the hospital right now… unless it’s not safe to see you here. Where… would be safe for you to meet?” Kaito asked, surprised how nervous he suddenly felt.

“Yes, that's right.” Astral affirmed.  He smiled.  

“Well...I don't think I want to go to a hospital...there's cameras and doctors who have worked on both you and Haruto in the past who might recognize me...would you be comfortable meeting me at a mall or restaurant?”  

“There’s a small restaurant around the hospital, it’s a sushi place. Do you want to meet there?” Kaito asked, thinking he could bring food back for his brother as well as getting some air.

“That sounds alright with me. When can we meet there then?” Astral asked.

“I have nothing on, it’s just whenever you can get there,” The man said.

“Okay...I can be there in about 20 minutes, unless that's too soon...”  Astral said, probably failing to hide how eager he was to see Kaito.

Kaito gave a light laugh. “I can manage that. Haruto should be awake then so I can tell him I’m going. I promised him I’ll be there when I wake up… Can I tell him I’m seeing you?”

“Ah...well, you can tell him if you think he will not be bothered by it...”  Astral said, not sure what Haruto's take on him being a criminal was. He smiled.

“I will see you in 20 minutes, Kaito...hopefully you will not be alarmed by how I look...”  He noted.

“I’m blind, Kibou. You keep forgetting that,” Kaito couldn’t help but smirk. “You could look like a dragon and I wouldn’t know. It’s fine. Talk to you soon"

Astral chuckled a bit at the idea.  

“Alright...I will see you soon, Kaito.”  He said, before hanging up and heading out to catch the bus to the restaurant.  

Haruto was dozing lightly, and had woken up with his brother on the phone.  He hadn't heard much of the conversation, but he was glad to see his brother looking a bit happier.  

“Nii-san?  Who were you talking to?”  He asked softly.

Kaito looked over towards his brother’s voice and he smiled. “Hey… It was… It was Hope. He wanted to talk to me,"

"Hope? Really?" Haruto asked, perking up a little at this news.

"Is he okay? Is he coming here? Is he-" Haruto had to pause to cough for a second.

"...Are you and him back together, Nii-san?" He finished softly.

“Haruto… hey….” Kaito put his hand on top of Haruto’s arm, “Easy. You’re supposed to be resting…”

He sighed. “No… there are too many cameras and people who know him from when I was sick. He’s meeting at that sushi place nearby.”

Haruto slowly settled under his brothers concerned touch and sighed softly.  

"I'm just so happy for you two." He said, pouting a bit when he heard Hope wasn't coming, but he understood.

"When are you going to see him then?"

“… Today. I wanted to tell you I meet him in twenty minutes,” Kaito said, thankful Haruto hadnt pressed on about Astral and him together. He didn’t know himself- it had been so long.

"Today? That's great Nii-san! You go have fun...I'll rest here. Tell Hope I said hi!" Haruto said with a grin. He was confident that his brother and Hope would get back together.

“I will… you won’t mind, right? I can pick up something for you while I’m gone,” Kaito said.

"No I don't mind. Nii-san should go have fun then tell me everything when you get back." Haruto said with a smile.

"That sounds nice...I'll eat anything you bring. Thanks Nii-san!"

“Alright, I’ll get you the teriyaki sushi you like,” Kaito said. “I suppose I can go now. By the time I find my way down there and to the restaurant, it’ll be time to meet up.” He sighed and stood up. “Thanks Haruto.”

"Okay Nii-san...have fun!" Haruto said with a smile, waving to his big brother as he headed out.  

Meanwhile, Astral had just stepped off the bus. He went to the restaurant to get a table for two, or to join Kaito if he had beat him there. He was still excited but also nervous. It had been awhile since he'd seen Kaito...would things still be the same? He hoped it would be alright.

Kaito was slow but not that slow. By the time Astral had arrived, the thin, pale man was at a booth, asking a waitress to tell him some options so he wouldn’t have issues or interruptions when Astral arrived. He was nervous too…so nervous.

Astral arrived, eyes scanning over the patrons of the restaurant before spotting Kaito. He looked thinner and paler than when he'd seen him last, but he was still recognizable. Regardless of his appearance, Astral was happy to see him. He went over after taking a deep calming breath.

"Hey...Kaito. I'm here." He said gently.

Kaito heard the chair move and he looked up in Astral’s direction. He smiled  and offered his hand. “It’s good to see you again."

Astral smiled, noticing that Kaito indeed didn't seem to be able to see his tattoos.  His eyes looked unfocused, as if he truly was not seeing much at all.  As sad as that made him, Astral couldn't help but smile anyway because he was still happy to be with Kaito.  He was glad the other remembered his voice.  He took Kaito's hand gently.

“I am glad to see you are here and alright too, Kaito.  I missed you.”  Astral said softly, sliding into the booth across from Kaito and giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

Kaito smiled as he felt Astral’s hand, toughened from months on the street and in prison. He squeezed it tightly and closed his eyes, “… We’ve been apart so long, I just want to ask you questions… but I have nothing to say…”

Astral smiled, watching Kaito seem much happier and calmer with their hands entwined.  

“I don't think there is much I can answer anyway...I still cannot tell you where I'm living, for example.” Astral said gently.  

“But I have been up to quite a bit...trying to adjust back to regular life.  I have met with Yuuma and Shark, and am going to try and get a job so that I can earn income off a computer...”  Astral said.

“Yeah… but I just wanted to talk to you.” Kaito said. “That’s good to hear… I didn’t know you contacted them."

“We can talk as much as you want.”  Astral said with a smile.  He nodded.

“Yes, I called Yuuma after speaking to you.  I did not initially want to meet up with them right away, but Yuuma was set on seeing me...it is very hard to refuse him once he's decided on something.”  Astral mused with a chuckle.

“Yeah… I know Yuuma. He’s like that…” Kaito muttered. He shyly pulled back his hand and sighed.

Astral flushed a bit as he realized like Kaito had that they'd been holding hands for quite awhile. It had felt very natural to hold Kaito's hand that way.  

“How have you been, Kaito?  Are you okay health-wise?”  

“More or less. I’ve been hanging around,” He shrugged, “Nothing much to say about me. It’s mostly been all about Haruto.”

“Well, that's good, but I still do worry about your health sometimes...”  Astral admitted.

“You kept saying that you wouldn't be able to see how different I look...can you see anything at all?”  Astral asked.

“No… it’s mostly darkness… or blobs, if even that. I see some light but it’s black or white,” Kaito shrugged. “I’m used to it… But I’m kind of disappointed I don’t get to see your scars."

Astral nodded.  

“They're tattoos...but they're also special.  It's hard to describe them...”  Astral mused, before he had an idea.  He got up slowly and came to sit next to Kaito, taking his hand slowly in his.  He blushed a bit.  

“...but I could show them to you.”  He finished, bringing Kaito's hand up to his cheek gently so he could feel the slightly raised markings on his skin.

Kaito heard him move and he frowned. “Hey…” He looked towards where Astral was sitting and frowned as his hand was taken. “You can’t feel ta-“ He started before he felt the slightly elevated bumps. He frowned and felt them over gently, not wanting to hurt Astral.

“… These are scrambling chips, aren’t they? Todoroki talked about them to me years ago. Have they perfected the technology?” Kaito asked. “Can you describe them?”

“Yes, they are.” Astral said softly, letting Kaito feel his cheeks.  His touch didn't hurt at all and Astral leaned into it slightly, liking the warmth.

“They're like tiny blue triangles, but the ones on my forehead are like diamonds.  I have some on my forehead and my cheeks.  They're supposed to react to scanners and fool people into thinking I'm not really a convict.”  He said.

“So they’re all blue? Like your hair, or have you dyed it?” Kaito asked, gently stroking Astral’s face, more caressing him than feeling after a few minutes.

“Hmmm...a little bit darker than how it used to be, but yes, more or less.”  Astral said, smiling a bit as his cheeks were caressed.  He had missed Kaito so much.

“I dyed it and cut it...now it's white.”  Astral said.

“White hair… You always did act like an old man,” Kaito joked, cupping Astral’s face. “… God, I missed you."

Astral pouted a bit.  

“You are older than me.” He mused, smiling happily.  

“I missed you too...” Astral said, bringing his hands up to rest gently on Kaito's face too.  He wanted to kiss him, but part of him remembered that they were still in public and he didn't know if Kaito would be okay with that...

Kaito smirked a little. “… I probably look like an old man with my shitty health, so there.” He leaned forward, using his fingers to guide him to Astral’s lips, not caring how uncharacteristic it was. It had been too long

“We're 'old men' together then...”  Astral mused with a small smirk.  Helping Kaito as the other leaned forward, Astral closed the distance between their lips and kissed Kaito gently.  He had missed him...it had been a long time since they'd kissed.  Even longer than when they'd last seen each other, since they had done a few prison visits where of course they'd been unable to touch each other.

“It’s like a dream….” Kaito murmured when he parted. His thumbs smoothed over Astral’s face, “I thought… when you disappeared I’d never see you again. You did talk to me but…”

“I had to disappear...but I always intended to return, when it was safe...”  Astral murmured.  He sighed softly and let Kaito do as he wanted with his hands, knowing that since he was blind he had no choice but to 'see' with his fingers instead.

“I know…” Kaito murmured, feeling over Astral’s cheeks, nose and chins. He then just held him and then slowly brought his hands down. “… So coming to see me means… do you want to come back?”

Astral smiled a bit, before sighing softly as Kaito put his hands down and asked him if he would be coming back.

“...I don't know if that's a good idea.  I want to come back with you...but you live with Chris, and it would be too risky. If I get found, I would go back to jail...and you would be in trouble too, for hiding me.”  Astral said.  

“… Yeah…” Kaito sighed. “… It’ll always be to risky. I forgot momentarily, I’m sorry."

“We can still see each other...but I do not think we can live together, unless you were to move out. And I do not want to burden you...especially when you have Haruto to look after still.”  Astral said, squeezing Kaito's hand apologetically, since he couldn't really see the sorry look on his face.

“We’ll see… After Haruto. I want to make sure he’s still in my life and protected. Until he’s well again, I’m going to put him first,” Kaito said, squeezing him back.

“Of course...I would expect nothing less from you.”  Astral said.

“Is Haruto doing better lately?”

“… Well I told you he did have a down spell before, but he’s getting better. It’s out of our hands to how well he will take the new treatment.” Kaito sighed.

“I am glad he is doing a bit better at least...hopefully that continues.”  Astral said with a smile.

“Mmm… He likes the idea of us getting back together,” Kaito smirked,

Astral chuckled.

“You told him?  Well, that's okay...he's smart enough not to tell anyone.  I am glad he still likes me then...”  Astral had been afraid that Haruto wouldn't like him anymore after he went to jail.

“He woke up and asked me who was on the phone,” Kaito shrugged, as if that was the most obvious answer in the world, “Haruto cares for everyone. He’s a good kid."

Astral smiled.  

“Yes, he is.  I should come see him once he is out of hospital...if that is okay with you and him, of course.”  Astral said.

“Of course… If you want to risk the cameras… we won’t force you but he’d be happy to see you there,”

“Perhaps waiting until he is discharged would be best...I could come by while Chris is at work. Or, if he is doing well, we could meet somewhere else.”  Astral suggested.

“I’ll let you know then…” Kaito said, “… Now are we going to eat to not?”

“Okay...and yes!  That sounds good!”  Astral said, chuckling a bit in embarassment.  He'd been so wrapped up in Kaito that he hadn't noticed that their food had been put out.

“Itadakimasu.”  He said, before starting to eat.

Kaito gave a small laugh and nodded. “Itadakimasu.”

“… You’re okay, right? I mean… in general…"

Astral smiled, eating happily.  

“Yes, I am...don't worry about me.  I have friends looking out for me.”  He said.

“Yeah… Yuuma and Shark, right? They don’t tell me much about you, even though they seem to come visit the hospital a lot,” Kaito shrugged.

“Yes, them.  But also other new friends...some who are housing me and looking after me after helping me out of prison.”  Astral said with a smile.  He laughed.

“Shark and Yuuma practically lived in hospital not long ago...usually Shark was visiting his sister or Yuuma.  Occasionally they were both injured and I was the one who had to visit them.”  Astral mused.

“Yeah, they told me all about Yuuma’s various trips to the infirmary. I’m amazed his skull hasn’t cracked,” Kaito muttered, sipping his tea.

Astral chuckled.  

“I am surprised too...but I am also relieved that both of them seem to be taking it easier lately. Going to prison and serving their sentences has calmed them both.”  

“Mm… Everyone I know is getting older and more mature as well… You’d think we’re in our fifties but no, we’re barely past thirty.” Kaito said, squeezing Astral’s hand again

“Yeah...I feel the same. But I suppose we have experienced quite a bit in our 30 years.  We cannot keep going wild like that forever.  Even a few people I never expected to calm have definitely settled down.” Astral mused, squeezing Kaito's hand back.  He was happy.

He was happy too. Kaito only finished half his food before he leaned back and gave a tired sigh.

“Are you alright, Kaito?” Astral asked gently, pausing in his eating.  Honestly he wasn't very hungry.  

“Yeah… I haven’t had much of an appetite lately… I’m not well.”

“You should eat...I know you are worried about Haruto, but he would be worried about you too if you do not eat.”  Astral noted.

“I know, I know…” He mumbled. “I’ll save it for later if I can’t finish"

“Okay...”  Astral said with a small sigh.  He squeezed Kaito's hand to reassure him.

“Don’t worry so much… If you can survive all of this, I can too."

Astral nodded.

“You are right...we have both been through a lot and can definitely survive...”  He agreed.

“… Yeah…” Kaito sighed and leaned forward again

Astral carefully leaned in too, kissing Kaito's lips gently before pulling away with a smile.

“Even if we're not living together...if you need to talk, you can tell me anything...”  

“Yeah… Alright… Thanks, Kibou..."

“Not a problem, Kaito.” Astral said with a smile.

“… We should make this a regular things. We could be ‘dating’ again… if you would want to..."

“I have never dated really...”  Astral said shyly.  It was true. With Kaito, they had basically just hooked up.  They hadn't tried any of the cheesy romantic outings that he'd seen in movies, mostly because one or both of them couldn't really go outside due to injury or fear of being caught by the police.  He smiled.

“I think I would like that.” He said with a smile.

“… Thanks… We don’t have to force anything… Just be together,” Kaito smiled

“Together...”  Astral said, nodding.

“Yes, that is what I want.” He agreed.

“… It’s good to hear you. So far… you’re the only completely good news I’ve had, and I thank you.”

Astral smiled a bit wider.

“No problem Kaito...I am glad to be here for you.”  He said happily.

“I love you.” He muttered. “I love you… I just need to say that…” He sighed

Astral smiled wider.

“I love you too Kaito.” He said, squeezing Kaito's hand again gently.

The lunch continued for another hour or so, before finally it was time for the two of them to part. Although Kaito could leave Haruto for a little bit, he still didn't like leaving him alone for too long.  Astral understood completely.  He held Kaito's hand, guiding him out of the restaurant. The hospital wasn't too far away, so Astral didn't mind guiding Kaito there too, just to make sure he made it back safely.  Outside the hospital, they stopped and Astral held both of Kaito's hands as he faced him with a smile.  

“Thank you for agreeing to come out and see me today, Kaito.”  Astral said, giving Kaito a small peck on the lips.  

“I will see you later.” He said softly.

Kaito was smiling the entire time during their date. It was nice to relax and just have Astral back. He didn’t realise how much he missed Astral until he was there to fill him up again. He enjoyed the walk back to the hospital, and he talked quietly to fill the journey. It was all over too fast, it was almost a whirlwind of a dream.

“It’s alright…” He muttered. He was surprised when he felt the kiss and he blushed.

“Alright… See you later, Kibou,"

Astral smiled as Kaito blushed, admittedly a little pink-cheeked himself.  

“Bye, Kaito.”  He said, before turning and heading down to the bus stop to return to his home, leaving Kaito to go back upstairs and check on his brother.

Haruto was waiting in bed, having snoozed for awhile, but he'd woken up surprised that his brother was still not back.  But, he was happy at the same time, because that must mean that Kaito was having fun...Kaito deserved to relax.

Thankfully, Haruto didn’t have to wait too long. Kaito knocked on the door after feeling the label, and then walked inside.

“Haruto? Are you awake? I brought something for you."

“Nii-san, you're back!” Haruto said happily.  He could see the food and grinned.

“Thank you, Nii-san.” He said, accepting the food and slowly opening it.  As he did, he talked more.

“How was your date, Nii-san? Is Kibou doing okay?  Is he moving back in with us?  Are you two back together?”  Haruto asked, unable to contain his excitement.  He wanted to know everything.

Kaito placed it on the small table that hung over the hospital bed and let Haruto tend to it, ready to help when Haruto needed.

“Ah, so many questions,” Kaito laughed. “He’s fine… He won’t move back in with us… but we’re together.” He answered quickly.

Haruto smiled, plopping a sushi roll into his mouth and chewing happily as he listened to his brother.

“Why won't he move back in? If you're together again, then you can live together again can't you?” Haruto asked.

“No… we can’t… he doesn’t want to risk arrested again… He’s doing it for our safety,” Kaito sighed. “I don’t even know where he stays."

“Oh yeah...I almost forgot he hasn't actually served a whole prison sentence...”  Haruto noted.  He frowned.

“If you don't know where he is...does that mean you're not going to see him again?  But I thought you said you two were together!”

“No, I’m going to see him again. He’ll call me and we’ll meet outside of the house or the hospital. It’s going to be… different… but kind of like how he was before he started living with us, I guess.” Kaito shrugged.

“Okay!  That's great!  Nii-san can be romantic and take Kibou out on dates like in the movies! You can go out and have picnics, or romantic dinners at fancy restaurants, or you can go to a fair and kiss at the top of a ferris wheel!”  Haruto said excitedly.  He'd been watching quite a few movies because he was bedridden, which had inspired his ideas.

Kaito laughed. “You’re quite a romanticist. You’d make a much better boyfriend than me,” He said, ruffling his brother’s hair.

Haruto giggled.  

“Then Nii-san can consult me for advice in how to be romantic!”  Haruto said with a grin.  

“How did you get to be so smart?” Kaito sighed, a smile on his face as he parted from Haruto. “You’re really something, Haruto."

“Nii-san's smart too...it's genetic!”  Haruto said with a smile.  He chuckled.

“I just want you to be happy, Nii-san!  You always try do help me be happy, so I should help you too!”  Haruto said.

“… I wish I could do more. I know you’d rather be with Ponta than being stuck in here most days,” Kaito said, reaching for his brother’s hand.

Haruto smiled a bit guiltily.

“I do miss spending time with Ponta...but I always like spending time with you too, Nii-san.”  He said, holding his hand happily.

“Yeah…. But still…” He holds his brother’s hand and squeezes. “It’s not the same..."

“I guess not...but, even with others, we'll always have each other, Nii-san.  And that's special.”  Haruto said softly.

“… Thank you, Haruto.” Kaito murmured. “Thanks."

-x-

After being given Miheal's number, Gilag was still not sure what to do about it.  There was no way such a cute, young man such as Miheal would possibly be serious about going out with him.  But damn it he was cute...Gilag had no idea what to do.  He hadn't dated in ages...but thankfully, he had his little brother Alit, who had much more dating experience with both men and women.  

“Hey, Alit...can I talk to you for a minute?”  He asked, approaching Alit in the garage as he was finishing up his workout.  

Alit was still doing his pushups, but he looked up at his brother and smiled. He did a very flashy backflip and smiled at Gilag.

“Sure, what’s up?” He asked, grabbing his workout towel and rubbing the sweat off his neck.

Gilag was always impressed with Alit's physical abilities. He wasn't nearly as graceful.

"Well...the other day, a really cute young man gave me his number...I think he wants to go out but I'm not sure how to...go about it..." Gilag murmured.

“Hey, you got someone’s number? Congrats man,” Alit grinned. He came over to his brother and punched his shoulder, “How come you didn’t tell me? It’s been ages since you’ve been… wait… Heh. I don’t remember if you’ve ever been on a date the entire time I’ve known you!”

Gilag smirked a bit as Alit punched his arm, but his smile faded as he sighed.

"I haven't...I don't know what I'm doing. But you know this sort of thing...what should I do?" Gilag asked.

“Well… it’s like… well… Making a friend,” Alit said. He wasn’t sure how to explain it, he usually just followed his instincts, “First you call them up, and then you go meet and get to know each other. Something like lunch, or go for drinks, where you can sit and talk."

"Don't have too much experience with making friends either..." Gilag muttered. He nodded.

"That might be good...but how do I know what to pick? Ugh...I'm not even sure if he's serious cause he's really cute - he wears pink and everything - but he's also sneaky...definitely more than what meets the eye." Gilag said.

“That’s true,” Alit laughed, patting his brother’s shoulder.

“Sneaky?” Alit raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?"

"Well...he looks innocent but I don't think he is. It's hard to explain..." Gilag said with a sigh.

"I don't even know if he's serious..."

“Well… He gave you his number. Call and see. Or text him, if you’re nervous,” Alit smiled “You won’t know if you don’t try, you big lug."

"Yeah. Okay you're right.  I'll do it...once I figure out what I'm doing. Any good places for first dates that you can think of? Is the BARian too much?" Gilag asked.

“BARian is fine, but it depends on the person. Do you know what he does for a living? Anything else besides his name?” Alit asked, walking them to the kitchen for water.

"He's a psychologist, but that's pretty much all I know about him other than his name." Gilag said.

“A psychologist.. Well… I dunno, they’re them fancy types, right? But the BARian is pretty good when it’s not Stripper Wednesday, so it should fine.” Alit said. “Okay it safe with the BARian or a movie first and then work after you learn more about him."

"Yeah he probably has money and class....I don't see how someone like that would give me his number." Gilag said with a sigh.

"Sure...that sounds good. I hope it works out...he's even cuter than Sanagi..."

“Probably likes your type-“ Alit nearly dropped his glass at the second mention. “Cuter than Sanagi? Seriously? Man, you must like him bad,” Alit grinned.

Gilag nodded, blushing a bit.

"He's really cute. I don't even know why he asked me out, but I'm happy he did."

“What are you waiting for? Go call him now! Come on!” Alit said, feeling good for his brother.

"Okay, okay!" Gilag laughed, pulling out Miheal's card and grabbing the phone. He dialled the number slowly, taking deep breaths to calm himself as he did. He put the phone to his ear and waited for Miheal to pick up.

Alit gave him a thumbs up. It was evening, so unless he worked the late night shift, Michael shouldn’t be busy.

And thankfully he wasn’t. Michael was actually at home, doing some of his paperwork in front of the TV. He had decided he would rather write at home, and he thought he was going to have a quiet evening. He raised an eyebrow when his phone had an unfamiliar call coming through but he answered anyway.

“Hello?"

Gilag gave his brother a small thumbs up in return, before gulping a bit as the ringing stopped and he heard Miheal's voice.

"H-hey...Miheal, it's Gilag. I don't know if you remember but we met on the elevator in the hospital...you gave me your number, so...I thought I'd call and see if you wanted to um...do something?" Gilag asked, biting his lip out of nervousness and shooting a glance at Alit to see if that was okay.

Alit gave him a thumbs up and grinned.

Michael muted the TV, surprised to hear the stranger’s voice. He had to rack his brains before he remembered just who this person was- the man he had met in the elevator who was blushing a lot. He chuckled softly.

“I thought you wouldn’t call me back. I don’t mind meeting up. What were you thinking of? Coffee?”

“Ah, sorry I took too long...I was busy...” Gilag lied, flushing a bit, glad that the man seemed to remember him.  

“Coffee is fine, yeah...coffee and a bite or something?  When are you free?”  Gilag asked.

“Hmm? Let’s see…” Michael flicked through a pile of papers for his calendar and flicked through it. “Ah. I have time between right now and tomorrow evening, just paperwork but nothing that can’t be held off."

“So, tomorrow then? Yeah, I can do that...um...I know a place we can go.  It's called the BARian...they serve food and drink during the day, if you wanted to do that?”  

“BARian… I think I know the place. My brother has been there a few times, so I can ask him for directions. Maybe about 10 or 11?” Michael smiled, hearing the earnest tone in the stranger’s voice.

“Sure, that sounds great!” Gilag said, trying not to sound too excited.

“So, I guess I'll see you then...”

“Yep, sounds good,” Michael smiled. “I’ll see you then~ Bye.” He hung up. When GIlag moved the phone, Alit would slide over to him and grin.

“High five!” He cheered, glad for Gilag.

Gilag breathed a small sigh of relief once Miheal hung up, glad he had gotten that over with.  He grinned and high fived Alit back happily.

“I can't believe it...I'm seeing him tomorrow...”  Gilag said, still in disbelief.  

“Man you have it really bad for him,” Alit laughed. A small guilty part of him wondered if Gilag had been like that for him, but he shook that out of his head, knowing it wasn’t the time for that. “It’s good to see you smiling, big guy.”

“I guess so, yeah...” Gilag said with a chuckle.  He was too happy to notice the flicker of guilt that flickered across Alit's face.  He beamed.

“I can't wait for tomorrow now...shit, I need to figure out what I should wear now!”  He exclaimed, rushing to his room to pick something.

“Hey! Hey! Chill out! Don’t be too eager!” Alit laughed, jumping over the couch as a short cut and running after Gilag. “Geeze, you’re acting like a thirteen year old, not a thirty plus!”

“I can't help it!  I'm just so excited...and also nervous.” Gilag exclaimed, bursting into his room and looking at his closet.  

“Not too fancy man. You’re going to the BARian. It’s a great place but not like super fancy,” Alit said, flopping on Gilag’s bed.

“I know, but I have to look good regardless.”  Gilag said, pulling out some outfits.  They heard the door to the house open and close.

“I'm home!”  Ponta called, looking around for his brothers, since Kotori was away. He glanced over to Gilag's bedroom.

“What's going on, pon?” He asked, looking at his two brothers.

Alit grinned and gestured for Ponta to join him on the bed. “Gilag has a date, Ponta.” He laughs. “Tomorrow morning.”

“A date?!  Wow!  With who, pon?  Where?” Ponta asked, super excited as he bounded into the room and plopped onto the bed with Alit.  Gilag chuckled.

“Well...it's a guy that I met at the hospital.  We're going to the BARian...I'm trying to decide what I'm going to wear.”  He said.  Ponta nodded eagerly.

“Yaaaaay!  Go Gilag, go!  I'll help, pon!”  He said.

“How about Gilag picks and we judge. Does that sound good?” Alit asked the teen.

“Yes, that's good! We'll help Gilag look amazing, pon!” Ponta grinned, giving Gilag a thumbs up. Gilag chuckled.

“Great.  You two are much better with this sort of thing than I am anyway.”  He mused, knowing that Ponta had been experimenting with clothes lately as he got older, and like Alit, he seemed to look good in almost everything he wore. Gilag was definitely the least style-conscious of the three brothers, and part of that was because it was harder to find clothes that fit him.  He had a limited wardrobe.  

“Hmmm I doubt my little wing clip will be useful on this date...are overalls okay?”  Gilag asked, showing his brothers some blue pants.

“Overalls are… not exactly stylish.” Alit said, trying not to face fault. “I can’t believe you have those still..."

"Not those Gilag!" Ponta agreed. Gilag sighed.

"It's been awhile since I've been shopping. Hmm...what else do I have?" He mused, digging through his closet for a decent outfit.

"Well these pants aren't overalls. They're just brown? Look okay?"

Alit looked at them critically. “Pair that with a decent top and it would be fine. And then you can borrow my stuff for accessories.” Not wings.

“Yeah!  Like this, pon!  Put this on with it.”  He said happily, grabbing a shirt that went well with the the pants.  Gilag smiled, hugging his little brother.  

“Thanks you two. You're the best.”  

“Grey shirt, black jacket… It looks good,” Alit grinned. “Now you’re ready for your date. But don’t stress about it too much, I bet Michael is just as nervous.”

“Don't be scared, pon! Gilag's really nice and fun and your boyfriend will see it too!”  Ponta exclaimed with a grin.  Gilag sighed and nodded.  

“Yeah...I'll be okay. Thanks guys.”

“Well he’s not a boyfriend yet. He hasn’t even spoken to the guy for ten minutes,” Alit laughed. “Yeah, it will be fine though. Chill. Let’s get dinner ready for Kotori. She has a meeting tonight and it would be nice for her to come home to a warm meal.”

Ponta pouted.

“Gilag's gonna get a boyfriend though!”  He ameliorated with a grin.  Gilag smiled a bit.

“We'll see, big guy.” He said, ruffling Ponta's hair as the boy giggled.  Ponta cheered.

“Food!  Can we have pizza?  Can we, pon?  Pleeeeease?” He asked Alit.

“Pizza? Do you think Pizza is good for you?” Alit asked. “… I’ll have my usual protein shake, but I guess we can get Pizza if you and Gilag will eat."

“...Pizza with vegetables?” Ponta suggested with a small sly grin. As if he'd eat them...he'd pick them off and just eat the cheese!  Then he cheered.

“Yay!  Come on, Gilag, let's get pizza, pon!”  Ponta cried, rushing into the kitchen to find the phone. Gilag smiled a bit and followed him.

Alit rolled his eyes and punched Gilag playfully in the cheek before he followed after Ponta.

-x-

Michael gave a small frown as he hung up and he stared at his phone. After a moment of contemplation, the man calmly put his work back on the coffee table and and then stood up. He sighed and closed his eyes before he sped dialled his brother’s number.

Thomas was cleaning up after a photoshoot when his phone starting playing his little brother's ringtone. Surprised, he picked up almost immediately.

“Yo, Miheal.  What's up?”  

“Hey, sorry it’s late,” Michael sighed, “are you busy? I want to ask you for some advice.”

“No, I'm not!  Oh, and what might that be?  Is my little brother getting into trouble?”  Thomas asked with a small smirk, holding the phone against his cheek with his shoulder as he continued to pack up his belongings.

Michael rolled his eyes. “It’s not trouble. I just need advice, though I’m starting to regret that,” Michael said, pacing the room. “Look… you’ve been with heaps of men before, right? And you have a boyfriend… so you’ve got to know something about dating."

Thomas snorted.

“I wouldn't say 'heaps', but yes, I have been with quite a few people.”  He mused, before gasping a bit as he connected the dots.

“You mean to tell me you've gotten yourself a date?  It's about damn time!  Spill, Miheal.  Who are they? When is it?”  Thomas asked, much more eager to learn now.

“Yes, I’ve gotten myself a date. I don’t know how, but I managed,” Miheal said, stretching, suddenly feeling tired from Thomas. “I don’t know. I met him in an elevator and I thought he was cute, so I’m meeting him tomorrow for coffee."

“Tomorrow huh?  Well, then we've got no time to waste, do we? Are you at home?  If so, I'm coming over to help you get ready.” Thomas insisted, packing up his things even faster now.

“What? No, Nii-san! I mean… I’m at home but...! It’s just coffee!” Miheal exclaimed, “I’m not fifteen, I’m a grown man. I know how to talk to people. I just wanted some advice with like… dating. That’s all. I don’t need you to come!”

“I can still give you advice in person, can't I?  I'll be there soon, Miheal! Bye!”  Thomas said, before hanging up and rushing out the door.  He definitely wanted to learn as much as he could about his brother's date.  Miheal didn't go out much at all, and certainly not enough in Thomas' opinion.

About fifteen minutes later, he was knocking on Miheal's door.

Miheal rolled his eyes when his brother hung up and quickly tidied his apartment. He opened the door for his brother when he arrived and sighed.

“Hey..."

Thomas grinned and entered happily.  

“Never fear, little brother, the dating expert is here!”  He exclaimed.

“So what sort of advice did you need from your Nii-san?”  He asked, plopping himself on the couch without really being invited to, as usual.

“Oh my god, Nii-san…” The man muttered, letting him in and shutting the door, “If I knew you would be like this, then I would have asked Chris… Or no one. Chris hasn’t dated since high school.”

Michael rolled his eyes. “Just how to be… like… not formal. I’m used to strangers but in a professional environment..."

“Chris?  He's even worse than you are when it comes to conversation.  All he talks about is science jargon with Father!  He'd never be able to speak to a regular person, never mind on a date!” Thomas mused.  He sighed.

“Don't treat your date like a therapy session.  You're allowed to share things about yourself, for one.  You can't just spend the whole time asking him everything about him. Smile.  Laugh!  Talk about random shit, not work.  That shouldn't be hard for you, cause your stuff is supposed to be confidential anyway!” Thomas offered.

“He speaks to Kaito,” Miheal laughed, standing in front of his brother, arms crossed over his pyjamas.

“I know that!” Miheal blushed. “I don’t talk about work at all. I just don’t get the chance to talk to people besides you and Chris and Yuuma!"

“You forget that Kaito also speaks science jargon to some extent.”  Thomas mused with a chuckle.  

“Then treat your date like he's me, Chris, or Yuuma!  Talk to him like you'd talk to us!  Plus, if all else fails, blushing wouldn't be a bad thing for you either...your cute baby-face looks even cuter with pink cheeks!”  Thomas mused.

“True,” Miheal would have laughed if his brother didn’t start snarking at him.

“Are you sure that’s not too informal?” he asked. He scowled at the mention of his ‘baby-face’ and he threw a pillow at Thomas. “Come off it. I’m serious."

Thomas chuckled and ducked to avoid getting hit by the pillow.  

“Too informal?  You're going out for coffee, Miheal.  That's pretty damn informal.  I don't think there is such a thing as 'too informal' in this case!”  He said.

“But seriously, just be yourself.  Relax. Have some fun!  Get to know the guy.  Take it slow.”  Thomas said.

“There’s casual and then there’s informal. They’re two different things,” Miheal protested.

“Yeah… I guess. I don’t know what possessed me to give him my number. He’s not conventionally handsome, but he just seemed so sweet in the lift. He was pretending not to look at me to be polite but he was blushing,” Miheal smiled.

“Not really, in my books. They're more or less the same thing.” Thomas said with a shrug.  He listened with curiosity as Miheal explained how they had met.  He smirked.

“Sounds to me like he likes you just the way you are.  So if we send you looking cute, you'll knock him dead on the date!”  Thomas grinned, getting up and looping an arm around Miheal.  

“Let's go look through your closet and pick something, and you can tell me all about this mysterious elevator guy who's not the conventional type of handsome.”  He mused, already dragging Miheal up to the bedroom to see what he had to work with.

“Oh now you’re just mocking me,” Miheal muttered, looking at his brother. He tried to slip away but all of a sudden, he was taken towards his room. “Hey, I can dress myself. I don’t need help with that,” he scowled.

“But he isn’t really like other guys. He’s really tall and very bulky, like a body builder. He’s also got a mohawk and a quite sharp face, if you know what I mean."

“I didn't say I would dress you.  You can decide and put them on by yourself, but I just wanna see what you might wear.” Thomas mused.  He frowned as he tried to picture this body builder man with a sharp face.

“Sharp as in, stunning and handsome, or tough guy?  How big and tall are we talking here?”  Thomas asked, looking through Miheal's closet, which consisted mostly of business appropriate attire, with most of his casual clothes being pink or cream colored. He smirked.  

“You'd look cute in this pink shirt with the frilly collar!”  Thomas mused, pulling it out and tossing it on the bed so Miheal could see.

“Tough guy… and… Umm… Maybe like a head and chest taller than Chris?” Miheal said, trying to remember how tall Gilag had been. “Something like that.”

He stared at the frilly collar and raised an eyebrow. “I thought I was supposed to be casual… and that makes me look good, not cute."

Thomas was digging through the closet, pulling out a couple other things to look at as he listened.

“A head and chest taller than Chris...holy shit.”  Thomas gaped, frozen in surprise.  Had his brother gotten asked out by a freaking mob boss?!  He immediately dug through the closet again.

“You're right, that shirt's not gonna work.  Where's that suit of gladiator-style armor you had?  It came with a real sword right?  That would be better.”  He said.

“Nii-san!” Miheal exclaimed, “Oh come on, just because he looks like that, doesn’t mean he’s dangerous. And it’s in the back of the closet but come on..."

“Better safe than sorry!” Thomas called, pulling out the costume.

“Maybe you can hide some of the armor under bulkier clothes...”  

“Please tell me you’re pulling my leg,” Miheal said, sitting down on his bed and rubbing his temples. “You’re the one dating Mist, not me.”

Thomas sighed.  Miheal did have a point.  

“Yeah but Mist isn't a fucking body-builder...I could fight him off if he tried anything funny...” He muttered, but he relented, putting the armor down and sitting down next to Miheal.

“Fine, fine you don't have to wear the armor...but seriously, be careful.  You told me the same when I told you about Mist.  I'm just looking out for you, baby bro.”  He told him.

“…” Miheal shook his head and sighed again before smiling. “I’m a grown man going to a public place. I’ll be fine."

“Yeah...you'll be fine.” Thomas mused, patting his brother's head gently.  

“But I'm still helping you pick an outfit!  You need to look cute, after all.”  He exclaimed, getting up and going back to the closet.

“Are you my supermodel brother or are you are my fifteen year old sister helping me with a date,” he smiled. He did appreciate it, really.

“I'm your supermodel brother, who models more outfits in a week than you go through in a year!  I know more about fashion than you do.”  Thomas mused with a smirk, picking up a couple of outfits (both pink and cute) for Miheal to see.  

“I’m not going to go to my date with only my underwear on, Nii-san. That’s all you model,” Miheal laughed. “Well… this one looks alright. Pink top, white pants… fairly standard for me. The vest is a bit much.”

“Shut up, I do clothes too!” Occasionally was left unsaid. Thomas nodded.

“Your standard works, so you can stick with it.  Pink is your color.”  Thomas mused.

Miheal laughed and smiled. “It is my favourite colour, and exactly what I was going to wear, See? I told you there was no need."

“It was necessary, if not to pick your outfit, but to relax you.  You're calmer now, and you can be the same way on your date tomorrow!” Thomas declared.

“… Ah… You’re right…” He smiled, “… Thanks…"

“No problem, little brother. I'll be going now, but knock him dead tomorrow!  Tell me all about it afterwards!”  Thomas said, smirking and heading out.  

“Yeah yeah… see you later, Nii-san.” Miheal smiled.

-x-

Gilag had arrived at the BARian early, because he had been kicked out of the house.  He'd made the mistake of expressing an interest in chickening out on the date, and both his brothers had been all over him.  They'd gotten him dressed and out the door early. Since Alit couldn't miss his workout, Ponta had taken Gilag to the BARian on his way to the hospital to see Haruto.

“You'll be fine, Gilag, pon! Anyone who really cares about you knows you're not scary!”  Ponta had said, which had reminded him about how he'd first met Ponta in prison and how the child had never feared him even once.  Miheal hadn't seemed afraid of him either, reassuring Gilag that his date wasn't going to freak out and they'd get along fine.  That had reassured Gilag a little bit, which was why he'd managed to get himself into the BARian and request a table for two without much trouble. But, his nerves were coming back as he waited for Miheal to show up.  He just hoped everything would be okay.

Miheal had a surprisingly unspectacular morning. There were no brothers to bug him, and while he did have some jitters, he didn’t really feel nervous. After some washing up and making sure everything was done, he headed out of his home at the appropriate time.

“Mmmm…Ah, there’s my friend,” Miheal said when the worker asked him if he needed a seat. He was let on through and he smiled at Gilag, glad to see he had shown up.

“Hello there."

Gilag's breath hitched a bit when he initially saw Miheal enter.  He looked so cute in pink.  He smiled a bit shyly when Miheal finally spotted him.  

“Hey...nice to see you again.”  Gilag said.

Miheal smiled. Gilag didn’t look too bad himself. He sat down and laughed, “I’ve never been here before. It’s a nice place."

“It is...it's a regular favorite of me and my family.  My brother and I come here all the time.”  Gilag said.  

“Do you now? It’s a nice place. Not what I expected, but still nice,” Miheal smiled. “Tell me about your family, Gilag. You have brothers?"

Gilag smiled a bit more, relieved that Miheal seemed to like it here.  He'd been worried that maybe he wouldn't.  He nodded.

“I'm glad.  It is nice.”  He said.  He perked up a bit at the chance to talk about his brothers.

“Ah well...yes, I have two younger brothers.  The older of the two is named Alit.  He's a professional boxer, and he's married to Kotori, my sister-in law, who's a teacher. They're expecting their first child soon.  And the younger one is Ponta, who is in his early teens.  He has many hobbies, because he loves to explore, but his current favorite is skateboarding.  He's very smart and talented...I know he'll go far in whatever he chooses to do later in life.”  Gilag said, always very proud of his brothers.  

“What about you?  Do you have siblings?”  He asked.

“Oh, that’s lovely,” Miheal laughed, “Yeah, I have my two older brothers. I’m the youngest. Thomas is a model for clothing and underwear, and Chris is a scientist. I don’t see them often, but I love them all the same."

Gilag nodded, listening in interest.  So they both had two siblings...that was nice.  They both had common ground at least.  

“Wow, a model and a scientist...both of those sound busy.  It's a shame you don't see them more often.  I always miss my brothers when either of them are gone for too long.” Gilag mused.  

“Yeah… I live on my own though, and my work as a psychologist is busy enough as it is, but we do make an effort to meet up,” Miheal smiled.

“Ah, yeah, that would do it. I work in construction, which isn't terribly busy.  Alit is the busiest out of us, because he attends tournaments out of town.  I also live with my brothers at the moment, mostly because Ponta can't stand the thought of his family being separated.” Gilag mused with a small chuckle.

“I'm sure I'll be in the same boat as you soon enough, since with the baby coming, Alit and Kotori will be busy and I'll be moving out.”  Gilag said.

“Oh wow, sounds like you have a lot going on,” Miheal mused, “Must be nice having your family all together.”

“Yeah...it wasn't always that way, but it is now.”  Gilag said with a smile.  The waiter came to take their orders, so there was a small pause in the conversation as Gilag ordered his usual.  

And Miheal just ordered what Gilag ordered, “I’m not the most decisive person,” he admitted. “I tend to run head first into things. Not like without thinking, but I’m definitely more active than passive."

“Eh, I tend to just go along with what others do, or do nothing.  That's probably because of having two younger brothers who definitely know what they want to do.”  Gilag said with a chuckle.  

“Really? You look like you’d be a man in charge, someone with a plan,” Miheal smiled.

“I guess I do occasionally...I used to call the shots a lot more when Alit was younger, but he's an adult now, so I can't really but in.  As for Ponta, he's relatively independent too, and it's not only my say on what he does.”  Gilag said with a shrug.

“Mmm… How old is Ponta?” Miheal asked curiously, wanting to listen what the older man had to say. He seemed interesting to him, and he subconsciously leaned in closer.

“He's only thirteen, and technically Alit and Kotori are his legal guardians, but I help look after him too.”  Gilag said.

Meanwhile, neither of them noticed a man who just walked into the BARian, sitting in a booth nearby. He wore a had to hide most of his hair, and sunglasses to hide his eyes and the scar over one of them.  Thomas Arclight spotted his brother easily, and was shocked to see his date.  

“Holy shit he's bigger than I thought...what the hell is Miheal playing at?”  Thomas muttered, sitting down and pulling up a newspaper to hide his face as he discreetly watched his baby brother talk to what was probably a mob boss.

“Awwww, thirteen. He’s sounds so tiny,” Miheal laughed. He estimated Ponta had to be at least a third of Gilag’s age, unless Gilag was younger than he looked. “I work with mostly adults, I’m not too good with kids myself, I’m afraid.”

“Sir, you’re looking mighty suspicious,” a voice said to IV. It was a bored waitress. “Whatever though, can I take your order?”

“He is relatively small, but he's growing fast.”  Gilag said with a smile, pulling out his phone to show Miheal a picture Alit took of him with Ponta on his shoulders.  He nodded.

“I'm not always good with kids...many of them are scared of me, but Ponta never was.  Ponta's good with everyone.  I'm sure he'd like you.”  Gilag said.  

Thomas frowned.

“Just a coffee is fine.” He mused, still glancing at Miheal, watching him laugh and enjoy himself.  He was still cautious, but it was nice to see that his brother was having fun.

“Awww, that’s cute,” Miheal smiled. “I hope he would like me too. Although… he doesn’t look Japanese. Are you and your family not from Japan too?” He asked, not seeing the waitress walk away from his brother’s table.

“He's very cute, and he's always up to meeting new people.  He's easy to get along with.”  Gilag agreed.  He shook his head.

“Kotori is, but the rest of us aren't from Japan.  Alit and I are both definitely from Italy, and we moved here when we were kids.  As for Ponta, he speaks Italian, so we think he came from Italy, but we're not completely sure.  He was abandoned as a child, and doesn't really know where his old family came from.  They obviously didn't want him, so I doubt we'll ever meet them to know for sure.” And if they ever did meet them, Gilag would definitely give them a piece of his mind for abandoning such a sweet kid.

“Basically, all three of us are bilingual in Italian and Japanese now.”  

“Ah, I see,” Miheal said, going quiet and listening to Gilag. “That’s awful… But he seems happy in the picture, is he alright now?"

“Yes, he's very happy with us.  We're his family now, and he isn't bothered by what happened to him before.”  Gilag reassured Miheal.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to be a downer.  Ponta's perfectly fine, really.”  He said.

Thomas had seen how Miheal's mood had gone down a bit, and frowned.  If this mob boss hurt his brother, he'd definitely get him back.

“Ah, I see,” He smiled, “It’s fine. I’m used to depressing topics, I’m a psychologist after all,” He joked. The man smiled at him.

“Well… I suppose I should talk about myself. My family isn’t from Japan either, we’re from London, but I was born here so Japanese is my native language, but I can speak English.”

Gilag smiled a bit weakly, though he was saddened that such a cute man with a nice smile was used to depressing topics.  

“Well, we don't have to talk about depressing things, since you're not at work.”  Gilag offered.  He blinked, impressed. English was a complicated language, from what he knew of it.  

“Wow, that's impressive. So you and your family moved here? Was it for a job or something? London is even farther away than Italy is.”  

Thomas was calmed slightly when his brother started smiling again, but he still watched as he sipped his coffee.

“It’s fine, I’m cool with talking with whatever. It takes a lot to upset me,” Miheal laughed good-naturedly, evidently meaning his words.

“Yeah, my father married my Japanese mother and they moved here before I was born. My brothers were around though, and they show me the old family house when we used to go on holiday to London,” Miheal said.

Gilag smiled, fighting down a small blush.  Miheal was so cute when he laughed.  “Oh, that sounds nice.  Do you still take holidays in London?”  Gilag asked, smiling.  

Thomas had finished his coffee, and had taken off his hat.  Maybe things were actually going okay after all...maybe this guy wasn't actually a mob boss that would kill his brother.  

“I haven’t had one in a while. Ever since I moved out, we’ve stopped going out on holidays,” He sighed. “We do catch up but I’m so busy with work, I haven’t had a chance to get away.

“Hey! Thomas? Is that you?” Yuma exclaimed loudly. He had come looking for Yuuya but was surprised to see a heavily dressed, but recognisable Thomas Arclight. “Hey there! How have you been?”

Gilag smiled sadly.  

“I understand...my family never really went on vacations to Italy, and we still don't really. Kotori's never been, and I think at some point, Alit wants to take her.  Ponta and I went back for a short time on a construction contract.”  Gilag said.  He couldn't help but glance over at the familiar voice of Tsukumo Yuuma barging in as he always did and talking to an unfamiliar guy a few tables down from them.  He smirked a bit and shook his head.

“As subtle as ever, that Yuuma.”  Gilag mused.

Thomas stiffened. Yuuma was being way too loud! Miheal would probably hear...

“Yes it's me, now keep it down!”  Thomas snapped.  

Gilag smiled sadly.  

“I understand...my family never really went on vacations to Italy, and we still don't really. Kotori's never been, and I think at some point, Alit wants to take her.  Ponta and I went back for a short time on a construction contract.”  Gilag said.  He couldn't help but glance over at the familiar voice of Tsukumo Yuuma barging in as he always did and talking to an unfamiliar guy a few tables down from them.  He smirked a bit and shook his head.

“As subtle as ever, that Yuuma.”  Gilag mused.

Thomas stiffened. Yuuma was being way too loud! Miheal would probably hear...

“Yes it's me, now keep it down!”  Thomas snapped.  

“Yuuma? You know Yuuma as well?” Miheal asked in surprised. He turned around to see where Yuuma was and his eyes widened when he saw the shady looking figure that Yuuma was so very obviously addressing as Thomas.

“Why? Are you okay?” Yuuma asked. “Is Miheal here with you? Oh! There he is! And Gilag too!” Yuuma exclaimed happily. He waved over at the two men. “Hey guys! Over here.”

“… Excuse me Gilag,” Miheal sighed, getting up, pretty much ready to start wailing on his brother with his fists.

Gilag glanced back at Miheal in surprise when he mentioned Yuuma.

“Yeah!  I met him a few years ago, actually.  Though I'm not surprised...he seems to know everyone!”  Gilag said with a chuckle.

“I'm fine and no, now shut up!  I don't want him to see me!”  Thomas said, but he facepalmed when Yuuma waved at them, drawing attention to him as well.  Gilag gave a wave to Yuuma when the other called out to him, but he frowned when he noticed Miheal was getting up and not looking too happy.  

“What's wrong, Miheal?” He asked, confused. Thomas gulped, quickly getting up as well.  

“Oh, hey~!  I didn't see you there, little brother!  You didn't tell me you were coming here~” Thomas said, trying to act innocent and discreetly making sure Yuuma was always between him and Miheal as a human shield.

“It’s fine, I just need to have a few things to care of,” the boy muttered. He gave a small sigh and walked over to Thomas. He did smile kindly to Yuuma but he crossed his arms and stared at him.

“… What are you doing, Nii-san?” he sighed.

“Okay?”  Gilag asked, still a bit confused.  He watched Miheal go over.  Yuuma grinned at Miheal, about to say something when he noticed Miheal was crossing his arms and glaring at Thomas.  Yuuma wondered what was going on.  Thomas gulped a bit.

“You know what, um...I was just about to leave.  I just have to pay for my coffee...did I ever tell you I loved the coffee here?  Cause I definitely should have!  It's the only reason why I come here!”  Thomas said.  

Miheal sighed. “Nii-san… you were spying on my date,”

“You’re on a date?” Yuuma asked, “No wonder Thomas was staring at you! Are you going out with Gilag? He’s a great guy!”

"Yeah okay you got me. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, is all! But you're fine so I'll get going." Thomas said, sighing as he backed away. Gilag watched curiously, not close enough to hear most of what they were saying but all three men seemed to know each other well.

Miheal frowned, feeling a bit bad. Between them, Yuuma felt awkward and suddenly knew he had done something wrong.

“… Nii-san… I’m sorry. But really..."

Thomas sighed and waved him off.

“It's fine, Miheal. It's my fault...I shouldn't be here. I'll get going...enjoy your date.” Thomas said, heading up to the counter to pay for his coffee before leaving the bar.  

Miheal stared after him, feeling really bad about what he did. His brother did mean well… but honestly, he was being safe. A public space at the day time… And he knew self defence. Honestly, his brother overreacted.

“Sorry Gilag,” The man muttered.

Yuuma looked over to the two and scratched the back of his head. “Umm… I probably should… grab something and go."

“Ah, it's okay...I'm not sure exactly what was going on, but it's alright.”  Gilag said with a smile.  He gave Yuuma a grateful smile.

“We'll have to catch up sometime, Yuuma.  I know Ponta and Alit would love it if you visited.”  He said with a smile.  

“That was just my brother being… himself,” Miheal sighed.

“Yeah! We definitely do! I’ll check with Shark and I’ll come over!” Yuuma grinned. “How is the baby by the way?” he asked, more concerned about Thomas being yelled at then barging on a date.

“Your brother?  Ah, so that's how you knew him.”  Gilag noted.  He smiled and nodded at Yuuma.

“We'd like that.  And Kotori and the baby are fine...she's not quite due yet, but it'll be soon enough.  Everyone's excited about it.”  Gilag said.

Yuuma grinned. “Yeah! I’ll come visit later! Well, I gotta run but don’t worry! It’s okay… See ya!” Yuuma ran out and Miheal sighed, shaking his head.

“He didn’t order anything. He’s so scatterbrained."

Gilag chuckled.  

“That's Yuuma for you...how do you know him, if you don't mind me asking?”  He asked.

“We were friends in school. He showed me around when I was new in his class,” Miheal went to sit down again, “I had to transfer from a private to a public school because of my dad moving across Japan, so Yuuma was my first friend here in Heartland City.”

“Ah, I see...that sounds like something he'd do.  He has lots of friends...my little brother Alit was a school friend of his too.” Gilag said with a smile.

“Ah… I think I may of met him in passing. I was pretty reserved in school, really I only hung out with Yuuma. Otherwise I’d be doing a sport of some kind,” Miheal said, sipping his drink.

“I was the same way really...I didn't play sports or do much working out unless Alit dragged me out to do something.”  Gilag said with a smile.

“Really?” Miheal asked. “Woah… But you work out now, right? I mean… you don’t just get those muscles by hanging in elevators, right?”

“Well, yes, I do.  I also usually had physically demanding jobs, like construction, that involved carrying things.  That helped build them too.”  Gilag said with a small sheepish smile.

“Mmm… I always wished I was stronger. I tried so hard, but it took me a while before I realised psychoanalysis was my thing,” he mused, though a bit surprised Gilag was as similar on the inside as he had seemed on the outside on their first, brief meeting.

“It takes a special kind of strength to be a psychologist...I think you're strong to have a job like that.” Gilag admitted, smiling a bit. The waitress finally arrived with their food, placing their dishes in front of them before excusing herself. Gilag smiled a bit at his usual rice dish before him.

“Let's dig in before it gets cold...itadakimasu.”  

“Really? I suppose the strength is called patience,” Miheal smirked. He looked down at the food and smiled. “Itadakimasu.”

“Yeah...there is that...but you've also got to be smart enough to get a degree, and that means you're mentally strong.”  That wasn't including dealing with the patients' problems and being mentally tough enough not to fall to pieces over second-hand experiences.  Gilag smiled as he dug in, trying to be less messy than he usually was while eating the rice dish.  

And Miheal was a little surprised with Gilag’s words and he gave a small smile at them. “That’s a very nice way of looking at it, Gilag,” He said before beginning to eat as well, neat and pristine as always.

Gilag smiled, flushing a bit.

“Ah...thanks...”  He said softly.  

“Do you like it?”  He asked, motioning to what Miheal got.

“Yeah, I do like it. I rarely eat meat, but this is good, all things considering,” Miheal smiled.

Gilag smiled.  

“I'm glad...this place is one of my favorites after all.”  Gilag said, gulping down his food and trying to be slower so that he wouldn't finish first and leave Miheal to eat while he just sat there awkwardly.

Miheal smiled, “How did you find out about this place?” He asked, having some more.

“My brother Alit and I did once when we were exploring Heartland.  Alit saw my name on the door and insisted that we go in to see 'my family's restaurant'.  We liked it and have frequented it ever since.”  Gilag replied with a chuckle.  

“Your family name is Barian?” he chuckled, “It’s nice.” He looked around properly. Seemed like a normal bar.

“That's right...I don't own the place or anything, so it's just a coincidence that its name is the same as my family's.  They serve drinks here at night, and sometimes have events like a regular bar does. During the day, they're essentially a restaurant.”  Gilag mused.

“I don’t usually eat out,” Miheal chuckled, “I just get takeaway most of the time. I visit cafes when I’m meeting my brothers, but I can’t remember the last time I ate out.”

“My family and I usually don't eat out either...mostly because Alit has a strict diet for his training regimen.  But if we do go out, it's often here where we go.”  

“And you? You seem pretty fit. Do you diet?” Miheal didn’t. He was one for sweets.

“I don't watch what I eat as much as Alit does, but I don't generally eat lots of sweets or anything unhealthy...mostly just because I live in the same house as Kotori.  She adores sweets and bakes plenty of them, but because of Ponta and Alit, she'll make sure to make healthy meals.  And when she does make sweets, Ponta usually claims most of them, since he definitely has a sweet tooth.  I just eat whatever he lets me.”  Gilag said with a chuckle.

Miheal laughed. “I adore sweets. I thought I would grow out of them when I became an adult but I never did. Sometimes I’d just eat a cupcake for lunch and that’s it. My brother hates that I can eat whatever I want and I never gain a pound."

Gilag chuckled.  

“Your brother the model probably can't eat sweets either huh?   Ponta is like that too, but that's probably because he's still growing.  He would eat nothing but sweets if we let him, but Kotori's pretty sharp.  She usually catches him if he tries to sneak some, and makes him eat some vegetables.” Gilag chuckled.

“Yeah, thats right. He’s always watching his weight and exercising, which is probably why he’s the most fit of all of us. Chris is mostly a beanpole.” Miheal’s light chuckles joined Gilag’s. They really did look like beauty and the beast having a meal, “Sounds like Ponta and I really would get along.”

“Your brother sounds like Alit.  I'm sure Alit could be a model too if he really wanted to, but he enjoys fighting too much.  Yeah, I'm sure you and Ponta would get along fine...especially if you like sweets.” Gilag mused with a chuckle.  He was glad that he and Miheal were getting along. He was really enjoying himself. Suddenly he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.  Frowning he quickly checked it.  It was a message from Ponta saying that Haruto had fallen asleep at the hospital and saying he could meet Gilag at the BARian.  

“And speaking of...Ponta just texted me.  He's coming here.”  Gilag said with a smile.

“My brother wouldn’t fight professionally. He’s too… not like that,” Miheal said, remembering the time where he had to drag Thomas home for getting into a bar fight when he was in high school. Thomas fought dirty. “Oh? Ponta wants to come here? That’s surprising. Normally you don’t introduce family on a first date,” he joked.

“Ah, well...Ponta was out visiting his friend in hospital, and apparently his friend needed to rest, so he's coming back.  I told him to meet me here, because I didn't want him walking home by himself.  I didn't think he'd be done so quickly...sorry about that.”  Gilag said with a small smile.

“No, no, that’s fine,” Miheal said. “I understand. Don’t worry about it. We can eat still unit he gets here."

“Alright...sounds good.” Gilag said, noting that both of them were almost done anyway.  They would likely be done by the time Ponta arrived.  He smiled and continued to eat, happy that Miheal was so nice and understanding.  

About fifteen minutes later, once both of them were done eating and were waiting for the bill, Ponta arrived at the restaurant wearing his backpack with games for Haruto in it. He quickly spotted Gilag and the man across from him, initially a bit surprised by their appearance, before beaming and running over to his big brother.

“Gilag!  I'm here, pon!”  He said happily.  Gilag glanced over and smiled as he spotted his youngest brother.

“Hey, Ponta.  You're just in time...we were about to get the bill.” He said.  

“This is Miheal Arclight. Miheal, this is Ponta.”  He said, introducing the two of them.

Miheal did look rather feminine, despite his best attempts. He smiled kindly to Ponta and he nodded to him politely.

“Nice to meet you, Ponta. I’ve heard a lot about you from Gilag."  

Ponta didn't really care how Miheal looked.  All he cared about was that Gilag was happy with him, like how Kotori and Alit were happy with each other!  He grinned widely.  

“Nice to meet you too, Miheal!  Gilag told you about me?  That's good, but Gilag you should also talk about you too, pon!  Miheal has to know about you!”  Ponta said, scolding his older brother slightly.  Gilag chuckled.

“I did, Ponta.  Don't worry!”  He said, ruffling Ponta's hair as the younger boy giggled.

“Good, pon!”  Ponta beamed, turning back to Miheal.  

“How old are you, pon? I'm only 13 now pon!”  He said boldly, curious about this young looking pink man.  

Miheal chuckled as well. “He did, he did. I know his name now, and that's much more than when we met,” he mused.

“Have a guess,” Miheal laughed, “Your clue is that it’s the same as Alit’s.“

“All you said was your name?!”  Ponta exclaimed, glancing at Gilag in surprise.  Gilag shook his head.

“No, Ponta.  I told him about my brothers, my job...and he did the same.  I can't just dominate the conversation after all...I had to spend time learning about Miheal too.”  Gilag explained.  Ponta looked back at Miheal.

“Alit's age?  Oh, so you're in your late twenties!  I should've guessed cause you're pretty like Alit and Kotori are, pon!”  Ponta said with a giggle, obviously happy with this result.  

Miheal burst out laughing. Ponta did remind him of a younger Thomas, and it was amusing, though did make him feel a bit bad for yelling at Thomas. He smiled at the complements.

“Yeah… I’m two years older but I had to stay back a few years for… reasons. I’m thirty this year.”

Gilag was watching the exchange with a smile.  He was glad that Ponta was getting along so well with Miheal, but then again, Ponta got along with everyone.  Ponta grinned.

“Ah!  That's like me too, pon!  I didn't know Japanese enough to start school properly, so I'm the oldest in my class by a couple years!  Does that mean you don't speak Japanese as a first language too?”  Ponta exclaimed.  

“I’m more comfortable with English, but technically Japanese is my first language. Its complicated,” Miheal smiled.

“Oh, English?  I don't speak that!  I know a few words though, pon, and I know the English alphabet because Italian is written in it!  Gilag knows it too!”  Ponta said proudly.  The waitress came with their bills so they could pay.  Gilag took the bill and gave the waitress the cash for it with a smile.

“Alright...I guess we're good to get out of here now.”  He said.

“Yeah… It’s a hard language. You must be so smart to know three languages,” He smiles.

“Ah… I should pay some of it,"

Ponta beamed.  

“I'm definitely smart, pon! But you are too cause you know two languages too!”  Ponta said with a grin.  Gilag blinked and shook his head.

“No, it's fine...I've got it.”  He said. Ponta grinned.

“Next time Miheal can pay, pon?”  He offered with a grin.

Miheal smiled.

“Yeah… next date, I pay. I mean… if you want to go on another,” Miheal said, looking up at the man.

Gilag had been a bit surprised by Ponta's bluntness, but he was relieved that Miheal took it well and even went along with it.  He smiled.

“Sure...I'd love to.” He said, glad that this wasn't going to be just a one-time thing.  Ponta beamed.

“Yay!  All better, pon!”  He said happily.

Miheal smiled, also glad for that. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt like this. He offered his hand to shake, figuring a hug and kiss were a bit forward at this stage. “Thanks."

Gilag smiled, blushing a bit as he accepted the handshake.  He also agreed with Miheal that a hug or a kiss would be a bit much.

“My pleasure.”  Gilag said.  Ponta, however, was not in agreement that this was the right way to part.

“Gilag!  You have to kiss him goodbye!”  Ponta spoke in Italian to Gilag so that Miheal wouldn't get what he was saying.

Miheal smiled and parted hands, a little curious to what Ponta said as Gilag turned a bright crimson.

“Not now, Ponta!” Gilag said back in the same tongue. Miheal laughed at the older man, failing to hide the amusement behind his hand.

“I’ll see you two later."

Ponta pouted.

“But that's what Alit and Kotori do, pon!”  He protested in Italian, but Gilag shook his head at the boy quickly, before smiling at Miheal.

“Yeah...I'll see you later, Miheal.”  He said, taking Ponta's hand and guiding him away with a smile.  

Miheal gave a smile and headed out after the two. He grabbed his phone when the two had left his gaze, calling Thomas to go apologise to him.

“You can’t just say that, Ponta,” Gilag frowned.

Ponta frowned.

“What do you mean? That's what you do when you love someone right?  You kiss them, pon!”  Ponta exclaimed, not understanding what he'd done wrong.

Gilag sighed. “You don’t kiss them when you first meet them. And kissing is if you know you love someone… you need longer than a day to develop a relationship”

“Oh...okay so when can you kiss them then?  How many days, pon?”  He asked.

“When it feels right, Ponta,” Gilag sighed, “Not a time… a ten year gap sometimes is too soon if it isn’t right…” He murmured, looking off.

“Okay, pon!  Then Gilag should see Miheal again soon so you two can be close!”  Ponta said with a smile.

Gilag smiled. “You seem to like him.”

“I like everyone who makes Gilag happy, pon!  Miheal's nice too!”  Ponta said with a grin.

Gilag grinned and ruffled Ponta’s hair. “I’m glad… Thanks Ponta. You’re the best."

Ponta grinned and giggled as his hair was ruffled, just happy to be with his big brother.  

“No problem, Gilag, pon! You'll win Miheal's heart for sure!” He said with a grin.

Gilag laughed.”Maybe, Ponta. Maybe.”

-x-

It had been nearly a week since Vector had been told he had very little time left, and even though he had a bucket list to work on, he found himself more often than not in front of his computer, working hard on his model.  Upon realizing that it was possible that he'd lose things like basic motor skills and the ability to concentrate on tasks as his condition worsened, he decided he should work as much as possible on the model while he still could function.  Vector had made quite a bit of progress, but there was always more to do...he was worried deep down that he wouldn't finish it in time, but he shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts.  

“I can do this...”  He muttered, frowning at the screen as a particularly tough code was giving him trouble.  Burying himself in work had its advantages, such as making sure he didn't have to face his impending death and the emotions associated with it.  He could just focus on his model and its codes, which were expressionless, emotionless symbols and sequences that had no meaning to anyone who didn't write or understand its language.  There was no time to focus on both it and his emotions, so he could slot the latter aside while he worked on the former and that was what Vector preferred.  That was how it had to be, in his mind.

Vector was losing himself. Every day, Takashi could see him weaker in one way or another, particularly when he engaged in ‘strenuous' exercise. It saddened him, and even though they had promised to make the best of things, he knew that Vector wasn’t happy with dying and had that desperate desire to live. Takashi didn’t know what Vector did on the computer, Vector refused to tell him, but Vector spent several hours in a day obsessing over this program he was working on. It wasn’t healthy, but Takashi didn’t know what he could do for Vector to make him relax. It just hurt, seeing such a strong man like this.

“Vector?” It was late at night when Takashi decided to close his book and head to bed. He looked over to Vector and sighed, coming up to wrap his arms around his body and kiss his neck. “You’ve been at this for hours. Don’t you think it’s time to sleep?”

Vector was so absorbed in the program that he had forgotten his surroundings completely.  He had no idea what time it was, nor did he have any idea what Takashi had been doing until he felt arms around him.  They surprised him, making his body tense slightly before he heard Takashi's voice talking to him.  That made him relax once he realized who it was who was holding him. He blinked.

“Have I?”  He asked, taking his eyes off the screen and glancing around himself for the first time in hours.  Indeed, the world was much darker than it had been hours earlier, because the sun had gone down.  Vector frowned at this revelation, since it explained why he was a bit tired, but promptly went back to the code.

“After I finish this code...maybe then I'll rest...”  He murmured, not wanting to lose focus.  He didn't protest to Takashi staying where he was, since he knew there was no way Takashi would understand the codes he was putting in since he didn't know what they were for.  

“You have. You work so hard on… whatever that is.” Takashi was good at computers but whatever Vector was cooking up was far beyond him. He was ready to help Vector up the stairs but he wasn't surprised when Vector went straight back to work. The man nuzzled the back of Vector’s neck with his nose, sighing softly on his skin.

“How much longer do you think you’ll be?” Takashi asked, wondering how big the program was. “It’ll be better if you sleep. You’ll get sick if you don’t."

“...I do it because I have to.”  Vector said softly, typing the codes in as best he could while still talking.  With Takashi here to distract him, he was not going to make much more progress, he knew.  But, regardless, he still kept working.

“I'll be fine...this part is almost done...”  Vector said, typing in a few more codes before he had to pause to close his eyes for a second, his vision starting to blur together a little bit as it did occasionally after he spent quite awhile on a computer typing codes.  He was approaching his limit, though he was annoyed that it seemed to come quicker and quicker every time.

Takashi wanted to distract him since it was so late, but he didn’t really want to fight. He just laid there, head on Vector’s shoulder, quietly humming. “Okay… five minutes and then you stop, alright?” The man said.

“Okay.”  Vector agreed reluctantly, letting Takashi rest there on his shoulder as he typed.  He continued his work in silence, entering code after code so that he could finish this one portion.  He pushed himself to his limit, working as hard as he could for the remaining five minutes, which flew by very quickly to him.  Finally, he sighed and leaned his head on Takashi's.  

“Done...for now...”  He said softly, saving his work and closing his laptop.

Takashi just cuddled him. He was willing to wait with him longer before he felt Vector’s cheek against him. The man smiled softly and kissed the nape of his neck again before getting up.

“Good… Let’s get to bed, okay?”

Vector smiled gently as Takashi kissed his neck.  He moved his laptop off his lap and onto the side table.

“Sure...”  He said softly, taking his cheek off of Takashi and waiting for the man to release him from the hug to get up so they could head up to bed.

Takashi did so. He took Vector’s hand into his own and slowly walked him over. “Now try not wake up too early this time, okay? You need your sleep.”

Vector didn't really like being babied and led around, but he tolerated it for Takashi's sake this time. He was too worn out to fight with him, and Takashi had already been patient with his obsessing over his model, so it wouldn't be fair to yell at him for it.  He nodded.

“Don't worry...after all the work I did, I'll probably crash hard and stay out for hours.”  He mused with a sigh, slowly getting into bed and waiting for Takashi to crawl in with him.

Takashi smiled at that. He knew that head-strong Vector must have been tired if he wasn’t fighting. He followed in after Vector and wrapped his arms around him. “Good… You know I’m just taking care of you, right? I love you…” he yawned...

“I know...”  Vector mumbled, already drifting off to sleep curled up against Takashi.  He really had been exhausted.  

“Night...love you...” He said softly, closing his eyes.

Takashi smiled and curled up by Vector. He watched him fall asleep and brushed his partner’s cheeks.

“‘till death does us part, Vector.”

Vector didn't hear Takashi's comment, since he had fallen into a deep sleep almost immediately. True to his plan, he had crashed hard...but, unfortunately for him, he wasn't going to be out for long.  

Vector opened his eyes to the sound of a heartrate monitor, beeping steadily, and noticed that he was in hospital.  But, for once, he wasn't the one on the bed before him...but he quickly realized who was. It was his mother, in a coma, as she'd been in her last days.  As always, it made Vector shudder and gulp to see her thin body covered in tubes, air being forced into her lungs through a tube.  He felt a large hand on his very small shoulder, since he was ten years old again in this flashback dream.

“I'm going to save her, Phecda.  Don't worry. She's not leaving us...”  Came the familiar voice of his father, who was standing behind him.  Vector sighed to himself.  This nightmare was a reoccurring one, which he'd learned how to deal with.  As always, there was a plug on the wall next to his mother's machines, and he glanced at it.  He knew what he had to do to end the dream, even though it did hurt him every time.  He'd pull the plug, wake up crying a bit, and tell Takashi about it when he woke up and receive the necessary comfort.  That would be it.  

Vector shrugged his father's hand off and approached the plug, reaching down to pull it out as he normally did.  But this time, something was wrong.  His hand slipped right through the plug, as if he were a ghost whose body couldn't touch things.  

“What?”  Vector gasped, trying again and again and getting the same result.  This had never happened before!  Just what was going on?

“I can't lose you again...” Came a voice behind him which made him freeze and whirl around.   It was Takashi who was sitting by the bed now, holding his mother's hand...but wait, that wasn't...Vector felt himself pale as he realized that he was staring at himself on the bed now, wearing the same apparatus his mother had been.  

“I'm going to save you, Vector, don't worry.”  Takashi spoke, using the same words and tone that his father had used with his mother. Vector gulped.  

“Takashi...”  He tried to say, when suddenly he felt like he was choking.  Suddenly he could feel the tube down his throat, forcing his lungs to painfully expand and contract.  He felt like his heart was forcibly being squeezed to get it to pump blood.  Vector clawed at his throat with his hands, but then noticed that his skin was shrinking into itself.  Vector tried to scream as he realized he was becoming the same human skeleton his mother had been by the time he finally pulled her plug. Desperately he tried to pull the plug again, even though he knew why he couldn't do it.  He cried and screamed, begging for help, but there was nothing he could do.  He was trapped...

In real life, Vector was kicking and squirming, screaming and crying as he managed to free himself from Takashi's now restraining grip.  He opened his eyes and gasped for air, sobbing and wheezing as he tried to breathe, gripping himself to try and get rid of that feeling of slowly dying.

Takashi hadn’t slept for long enough to settle into deep sleep so he was without dreams. Luckily too, because all of a sudden he felt Vector thrashing about in his arms, and kicking him in the gut. His eyes shot open and he gasped, staring out to Vector in the darkness.

“Vector! Vector! Shh… Shit. Are you okay?”

Vector was terrified still, crying and panting as he sat up in bed, curled up onto himself as he trembled. The dream in itself had scared him completely, but what made it even worse was that...he could see it being true. He knew the next step for him would be a coma, likely, and if he did fall into a coma...who would there be to stop Takashi from leaving him there until he died?  Takashi was obsessed with him and had already lost him enough times that he wouldn't want to lose him again.  That thought made him even more scared, and he let out a soft wail, unable to respond properly to Takashi at the moment anyway.  

Takashi knew it was worse than the usual. He looked at his partner and swept him into a hug, rubbing his back and petting him.

“Oh Phecda… shh… It’s alright. I’m here…” The man murmured, looking at the other, trying to help him breathe.

Vector trembled, but still accepted Takashi's embrace, because despite the fact that Takashi had been the subject in his nightmare, he still needed comfort.  He buried his face into Takashi's shoulder and cried softly, still taking deep breaths to calm himself.  Takashi's rubbing and petting was helping too, because it was replacing the feeling of choking and his skin shrinking on him.  They were small tactile reminders that he wasn't that bad yet.

“You’re safe here… no matter what happened, it’s okay. It’s not real,” Takashi murmured like he always did. He kept rubbing his partners back, running checks in his mind to make sure Vector was unharmed in his dream such as making sure he didn’t have a temperature, or wasn’t hurting anywhere in particular.

Thankfully, Vector was physically unharmed by his dream.  Vector sniffled a bit, but he was mostly calm now.  He bit his lip when Takashi said the dream wasn't real.  It wasn't real now, sure...but it could be.  

“...Takashi...can you...promise me something?”  He whispered softly, his throat a bit sore from screaming.

Takashi looked down at him and gave him a small nod. “Yeah… What is it?” He asked.

Vector looked up at Takashi, trying not to cry again as he prepared to say it.

“...Promise...to let me go...don't make me...wait...”  He said softly.  

“Let you…” Takashi started before he visibly paled. He bit his bottom lip and hugged Vector a bit tighter. “Phecda…. I… If you want… but-”

“No buts.  If I go comatose...it's over...you have to let me go.” Vector snapped immediately, though it sounded more like a desperate plea than a command.  He clung to Takashi.

“I...I can't....end up like Mom...please don't...don't make me wait...please...”  He begged softly, trying not start crying again, but he knew he was failing as tears came back to his eyes.

Takashi jumped, startled and felt his own tears well in his eyes. He looked at Vector and hugged him tight, not wishing him to see his face. “I…”

“I promise, Phecda. I’ll do it. Just try not get to that stage too soon. I’m not ready to lose you…” Takashi muttered, knowing he was far too dependent and weak at the current moment.

“I'll...try not to...I'm not...ready to go either...”  Vector said softly, hugging Takashi tightly.  He didn't want to lose him, and although Takashi was attached to him, he trusted him enough to keep his word.  He felt a little better now, but he was still saddened and a bit shaken up by the dream.  He didn't think he wanted to sleep just yet...

“...You don't...have to pull the plug yourself...just to clarify...”  Vector murmured.

“Yeah… all they need is my signature and your consent and they’ll do it…” Takashi put his hand on Vector’s back and sighed.

“Yeah...”  Vector murmured, putting his head on Takashi's shoulder and sighing too.

“...I'm sorry...”  He said softly.  He was sorry for waking him up, sorry for being paranoid, sorry for putting Takashi through this...and sorry that they'd eventually be parted.

Takashi kissed his head and smiled at him. “It’s alright. It’s alright. We’ll make it that way.”

“Okay...”  Vector said with a smile, cuddling against Takashi.

“...Can we snuggle until I feel sleepy again...I'm wide awake...”  He murmured.

“Yeah… Do you want to talk or just lie down?” Takashi asked.

“We can do both...” Vector said softly.  

“Either is good for me,” Takashi brought him down so they were facing each other. The blue-haired man touched Vector’s face. “… You know when you apologized… you shouldn’t have. Like… you’re the best thing in my life."

Vector let himself be brought down to the bed, staring at Takashi as the other man touched his cheek gently.  He blushed a little and smiled.

“...I just...I don't like making you worry...”  He said softly.  

“I’m always worried, Vector. Don’t you know?” He laughed softly.

Vector chuckled a bit.

“Yeah...I know.  But, I still just wish...we could relax a bit...” He said with a sigh.

“We always say we’re going to peaceful life… but I guess that’s not for us,” Takashi smiled.

“I guess not...but we can still have fun...”  He smiled at his lover, kissing his cheek gently.  

“Yeah…” He smiled and took Vector’s hand. “… I’ll keep both my promises to you… To end it and… keep on living after."

Vector smiled, squeezing Takashi's hand.  

“I'm glad...thank you.” He said, closing his eyes and leaning his forehead onto Takashi's forehead.  

“… Do you want me to keep… I don’t know… pestering you, I guess?  I mean…. I have been very overprotective lately… is that what brought your nightmare on?”  Takashi asked.

Vector blinked and frowned.

“...I don't really like being babied...but I understand why you do it.  I don't think that's...entirely what brought it on. I'm still trying to deal with...the idea that I'm...dying...”  Vector said softly.

“Ah… I see…” he muttered, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know..."

“It's not your fault, Takashi...I'm just messed up.”  Vector replied, hugging him.  

“You shouldn't apologize either...cause you're the best thing that ever happened to me...”  Vector said softly with a smile, repeating Takashi's earlier words back to him.

“I’m glad then…” he said, cuddling him.

Vector smiled and cuddled him back.

“...I talked to Mikage...she wants to see us sometime.”  He said softly.

“We should take that trip then. We never did get around to it.”

“Yeah...I wanna show you Neo Domino...all the places that I went to when I grew up...”  Vector said with a smile at the memories.

“Hey… that would be nice. Can I guess we’re going to a lot of fancy places or bars?” The man joked quietly.

“...Well, we could try to...I don't have the money anymore...”  Vector murmured with a small smile.  He also doubted he had the energy for parties like that anymore.

“...The best place would be the spa...”  He said with a small happy sigh at the idea.  He loved baths still, and the idea of going back to a spa with Takashi to relax was very appealing.

“We did say we would go again…” Takashi smiled. “And get the full treatment this time."

Vector smiled at that idea, finding that the mere idea of going to a spa was making him relax.  He nuzzled against Takashi, closing his eyes slowly.

“Yeah...we won't be limited by the cops...we can do whatever we want...”  He said softly.

“Yeah… We’ll probably get a special from Mikage too and it’ll be great."

“She'll give us whatever we want for sure...she was who I stayed with last time I went to Neo Domino.” Vector said with a smile.  His smile turned into a smirk.

“And if we go to Neo Domino...you'll have to come biking with me.”  He cooed, tapping Takashi's nose.

“You’re not allowed to bike,” Takashi frowned, tapping his nose back. “You’re still technically sick. I’ll bike but you’ll just sit in the passenger seat, okay?"

Vector pouted.

“It's biking!  It's not even that strenuous...”  He muttered, before laughing a bit.

“You?  You'll bike?  You don't even know how to drive one.”  He chuckled.

“I don’t want you falling off,” Takashi said seriously.

“And I do. What made you think I didn’t?”

Vector gave him an incredulous look.

“Me?  Fall off a bike?  No way.  I haven't fallen in years.”  He said. He chuckled.

“Really?  That's surprising considering when I brought a bike back home, you were terrified to get on it.  I'd never see you going on a bike alone, and driving it.”  

“Yeah, but you haven’t been on your bike in months. It’s still in the garage,” Takashi pouted, “And… I know the theory. I can just practice before we go.”

“True, but I still won't fall out.  You never forget how to ride...I've gone several years without biking and still not fallen once I tried again.”  Vector pointed out.  He laughed as Takashi explained his rather nerdy approach to biking.

“Theory?  There's no 'theory' for biking!  You're so silly...biking isn't something you learn by knowing the 'theory'.”  He said, nuzzling Takashi's cheek.  

“You’ll be surprised what you can learn from a book and talking to people. I should be able to bike with one hand in no time,” Takashi insisted, playfully resting his ‘dead’ hand on Vector’s shiny head.

“You don't need a book...I can show you how to bike.”  Vector said, smiling and nuzzling into Takashi's hand, even though he knew the man couldn't feel it.  

“Your hand might cause you difficulty...you'll have to tape it to the handlebar or something.” He said with a small chuckle.

“This whole biking plan is full of bad ideas. You teaching me, and me going in with only one hand.” Takashi laughed too.

“The simple solution is just to let me bike, and you can ride with me to make sure I don't fall off~” Vector cooed, kissing Takashi's nose.

“Fair enough.” Takashi kissed him on the lips. “Feeling better?”

Vector smiled and kissed Takashi back gently when his lips were stolen.  

“Yeah...I feel better. A little tired even...”  Vector said, tucking his head in the crook of Takashi's neck and closing his eyes, cuddling Takashi close.

“Yeah… That’s good. Now go to sleep. We can talk more in the morning, okay?” Takashi smiled.

“Okay...night...I love you.” Vector said softly, snuggling close to Takashi for additional warmth and security.  

“Me too…” Takashi said, wrapping his arm around Vector and looking out the window. “Me too. And I’ll let you go because of that…”

-x-

Yuuma was looking at wedding catalogues and groaning loudly.  He wasn't sure what he wanted to do here...he wanted his wedding to be perfect, but having to move it up for Vector had given him less time to plan (or to procrastinate on the planning).  

“Ugh!  What should I do?!”  He exclaimed, pouting.  Shark had told him to plan this, but he really wasn't sure what he should do...

“Oh, I know!  I'll ask my married friends!”  Yuuma beamed, dialling Kotori's number first, since he guessed that Alit might be out at a workout.

Kotori was off today and was currently just watching TV, satiating pregnancy urges with ice cream. She was just getting to the good part of an old rerun when her phone buzzed off.

“Ugh..” She mumbled, picking it up. “Hello?”

"Kotori hey it's Yuuma! I was wondering...you know a lot about wedding planning right? Shark said I have to pick stuff for the wedding and I don't know what to pick! Can you help me? I need a second opinion." Yuuma asked.

Kotori sat up and her eyes practically sparkled. “How fast can you get over, Yuuma? I’ll be glad to help!”

Yuuma was surprised at how eager Kotori sounded and beamed.

“I can come over right away if you want!  I'll bring the stuff too!”  Yuuma replied.

“Yeah. Do that,” Kotori said, putting down the ice cream bucket and wiping her mouth. “See you soon, okay? Let’s plan weddings.”

“Yeah!  See ya!”  Yuuma said, hanging up and gathering up the stuff he needed.  He rushed out to the bus stop, excited to be making progress on this.  Soon, he caught the bus and was pulling in near Kotori's place.  He got off and rushed to the door, knocking and waiting for Kotori to greet him.

Kotori was dressed pretty casually, so the baby bump was evident on her skin. She gave a small smile and opened he door.

“Hey Yuuma."

“Hey, Kotori!  Thanks for seeing me!”  Yuuma beamed, hugging his friend carefully to avoid harming her or her baby.  

“Wow you're getting big! When's the baby due?”  He asked.

Kotori rolled her eyes and flicked Yuuma on the forehead. “You’re not supposed to tell a lady that. And soon, for the record."

Yuuma yelped a bit when Kotori flicked his forehead.  

“Ack!  I'm sorry!”  He said. He grinned.

“Awesome...you and Alit must be super excited then!”  He said.

“Yeah… A couple of months,” she grins. “But enough about me… let’s talk weddings. You want to push it up?”

“Sweet!  Can't wait to meet your kid.”  Yuuma said with a smile.  

“Oh yeah, sure!  Shark and I decided to move it up...so I have to pick things faster now.”  Yuuma said, coming in so that he could put the catalogues down and show Kotori what they were looking at.

“We picked a place, but we need to figure out decorations and stuff...it's not going to be big, but that doesn't mean it can't be nice.”  Yuuma said with a smile, clearly very excited about this.

“Alright… fair enough.” Kotori sat down on the couch and looked at the catalogues. “Wow… Let’s see what we have here…” she murmured.

“A small ceremony, huh? Well would you rather buy things or like… make decorations."

“Oh, I didn't even think of that!  But...well...I don't know if we'll have time to make stuff...”  Yuuma said, frowning a bit.  He didn't know how much time Vector had left after all, and if they wasted time on making decorations...Vector could die before they ever got married.  

“But, Shark and I agreed that we could afford these, so we'll be okay with just buying stuff!”  Yuuma said with a grin.  

“I was thinking of having red and blues or purple...cause that's our colors!” Yuuma exclaimed.

Kotori laughed. “Well all those colours are pretty good at a wedding. You have soft blues and whites to offset the purple and red and you should be good. Do you have a venue that you plan on having the ceremony or are you just celebrating elsewhere after?"

"Yeah! That would look good..." Yuuma murmured, pointing to one picture that had that. He shrugged.

"I figured we would go out somewhere else! We can do whatever to celebrate, it doesn't have to be super fancy!" Yuuma said with a grin.

“Then we just have a simple arrangement for the ceremony… and maybe like go to the park or something. Where is special for you and Shark?”

"Yeah! Like this one?" Yuuma said, pointing at one with a grin.

"Ah...well I'll have to think of a place we've been to more than a hospital!" Yuuma said with a laugh.

“Hahah~” The woman grinned. “Well… That’s good.” She said, looking at the thing Yuuma was pointing to.

“Any clue?"

"Yeah! But we'll think of something...the parks nice. We could go anywhere really...as long as Shark is there." Yuuma said with a smile. He frowned.

"Hmmm...let's see here...I like this one, but also this one..." Yuma said with a small pout.

“Come on… make some decisions, Yuuma,"

"I'll pick something...hmm...I think I like this one better...just by a bit though." Yuuma said with a grin.

“… Please don’t think of an ocean theme or Shark is going to kill you."

“Aww...but we are an ocean! Some people said my hair used to make me look like a shrimp...and Shark's a shark!  So, it's perfect...”  Yuuma said with a small pout.  

“I'll definitely make sure it's okay with him, but the theme is pretty...I hope he likes it too.  It's our special day after all, so it has to be great!”  

“It is pretty if you do it right. See? You’ve bookmarked some very gaudy things. Shark likes subtle things, remember? Well… besides you anyway."

“Yeah, he does...but if I like it, he'll probably go along with it.  I'm trying to pick things that aren't that gaudy...”  Yuuma said with a grin.

“That’s true. I guess over all it’s just whatever makes you two happy,” Kotori said. “I’m just here to help."

“Yeah!  Thanks, Kotori.  I'm super pumped.”  Yuuma replied.

“When is the new date again?” Kotori asked.

“It's in about a month! I'm so excited.”  Yuuma beamed.

“Well you have told everyone you want to come the new date… right?” Kotori asked, knowing how forgetful Yuuma was

“I think so!  I told Cat-chan, Tokunosuke, you, Nee-chan...” He said, going over the list in his head.

“That Fuuya friend of yours? Tetsuo? Takashi, obviously… Anyone else really?”

“I told Fuuya, and Tetsuo and Inchou and Ena as well...”  Yuuma said with a grin.

“That’s probably all your bases covered besides the Arclights, but I’m not sure if you want to have Miheal and his family over. Thomas would bring his boyfriend…” She knew from Takashi that there was some tension between Ena and Mist.

“I invited Miheal and Shark is friends with Thomas, so he's coming...but his boyfriend isn't.  Thomas said he couldn't get time off work.” Yuuma said, well aware of the tension.

“That’s good,” Kotori smiled. “Well that’s everyone we know then. Oh… Is Kaito coming? I know about Haruto and all…” she frowned, absent-mindedly looking to Ponta’s room.

“I asked if he would...but I don't know if he wants to leave Haruto.  It'll probably depend on how Haruto is feeling that day.”  Yuuma said, frowning a bit.

“I'm worried about him...and I guess Ponta would be too, huh?”  

“Ponta has been worried sick… he’s having a hard time accepting Haruto won’t make it. I mean… we’re all hoping Haruto remains strong, but the possibility is there still,” Kotori sighed.

“Yeah...I hate the idea that Haruto isn't going to make it.  I feel bad for Kaito for that...”  Yuuma said with a sigh.

“And it's not only him...Ena's not doing too well either.  She's not in hospital, but her cancer isn't going away like they thought it would...”  

“I heard from Takashi… I just knew she wasn’t doing too well…” Kotori sighed. “… Hopefully this wedding will cheer everyone up though, right?"

“Yeah.  We pushed it up so that everyone could make it, and we could have some fun!”  Yuuma said with a grin.

“… You know what, Yuuma? I think gaudy sea theme is fine. You like it, and Shark won’t mind, and everyone will get a laugh.” Kotori said, finding her bucket of ice cream and helping herself to it

Yuuma laughed.

“Yeah, I figured!  It's a nice theme...everyone could enjoy it for sure!”  Yuuma said happily.  

Meanwhile, Fuuya was waiting at the grocery store for Yuuma.  The other had agreed to help him grab some food and carry it up the mountain to the Duel Lodge, where Yamikawa and Rokujuro were staying.  Fuuya was excited to see Kawa again, and Yuuma had wanted to see him too, so he had volunteered to help Fuuya with the food. Fuuya frowned as he didn't see any sign of Yuuma.  

“Hmmm...he's late.  Did he forget?”  Fuuya asked, pulling out his phone and dialing Yuuma's number to figure out if he was on his way or not.

Kotori and Yuuma were looking at more sea themed things when Yuuma’s phone rang.

“Hang on Kotori,” Yuuma said. He looked at his phone and answered it. “Hello? Fuuya? How’s it going?”

“Hey, Yuuma, where are you? We were supposed to meet thirty minutes ago.”  Fuuya said.

“… Huh?” Yuuma blinked. “Meet where? Did I forget something?” The man asked.

Kotori looked up and grimaced, already ready to smack Yuuma.

Fuuya sighed.  Typical Yuuma.

“I told you I was going up to the Duel Lodge to visit Kawa and Rokujuro, and you said you'd come with me! I have to haul a whole bunch of food and supplies up to them, and it's too much for one to carry, so you said you'd help.  I'm at the grocery store where we were supposed to meet.”  He said.

“… HAHHHHH? That’s today?” Yuuma said, jumping up. The huge man looked as idiotic as he would have done at thirteen, which both made Kotori laugh and want to slap him at the same time. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’ll be there in two minutes!”

“Yuuma…”

“Sorry Kotori! Gotta run! Fuuya is waiting for me!”

“Stop forgetting your appointments!” The woman yelled, hauling a pillow at him, hormones flaring up. Yuuma squeaked and hopped up, sprinting out the door.

Fuuya couldn't help but smile and shake his head as he overheard the entire exchange over the phone. He chuckled.

“See ya soon, Yuuma.” He said, before hanging up.  Now all he could do was wait.  

Yuuma sprinted out of Kotori's house, running all the way to the grocery store.  It didn't take him long to spot Fuuya and he skidded to halt in front of him, bowing his head and panting.

“I'm so sorry Fuuya!  I was busy wedding planning and lost track of time!”  He exclaimed.

Fuuya rolled his eyes but smiled. “Typical. Always forgetting. You’d forget your head if it wasn’t attached to you,” he said, picking up some boxes and handing them to Yuuma. “Come on. I’ll drive us there and we’ll walk the stairs."

“Okay!  Sounds good!  Is this Droite's car?  I didn't know you had one yet...”  Yuuma noted, taking the boxes and loading them into the trunk of the vehicle.

“It’s Droite’s. She said she’d catch a lift with Gauche so I have it for today,” Fuuya said, starting the car up and then helping Yuuma load the car. “Thanks for showing up though, Yuuma. Even if you are late, I appreciate it."

“Cool!  It was nice of her to lend it to you.”  He said with a smile.  He nodded, smiling sheepishly.

“Sorry for forgetting...I was busy wedding planning!  Since we moved up the date, I have tons to do!”  He said.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m kidding. It’s fine,” Fuuya said, starting the long drive. “Are you sorted yet?"

“Kinda...we still have some things to plan, but we're mostly done now.”  Yuuma said with a grin.

“Now actually buy those things,” Fuuya smiled. They talked idly for an hour since the drive out of the city was rather long, even without traffic. However, soon they ended up to the last road leading to the duel lodge, several thousand steps up.

“Here we go..."

“I will, I will!” Yuuma laughed, settling in to enjoy the ride.  Once the reached the stairs, he got out and grinned.

“Wow, I forgot how many stairs there were!  Well, let's get started!”  He said, pulling the bluging backpack full of supplies over his shoulders and starting up the stairs.

Fuuya sighed and grabbed a pack for himself. They would take the rest of the day and most of the evening to climb the stairs. However, the thought of seeing Yamikawa made him smile and he started the hike.

Yuuma climbed energetically at first, but as time went by, he slowed a bit.  He had forgotten how exhausting climbing these stairs with a huge backpack was.  Fuuya's pack was a bit smaller than his, and he was pretty sure he had all the heavier stuff.  But the idea of training and seeing Yamikawa and Rokujuro again kept him going.  

Fuuya was also smaller and weaker than Yuuma, so he was puffed too. Halfway up, his legs wanted to give in.

“Now i remember why my visits are sparse…”

Yuuma laughed at that.

“Yeah...this climb is brutal...even without the packs...”  He mused.

“Yeah… But at least they get their quiet, right?” He laughed weakly.

“True!”  Yuuma said, taking shaky steps up the stairs.  

“We can...take a break if you want...”  He noted.

“No… I… want to see Yamikawa. I miss him…” Fuuya said, putting his hand on his chest, and not because his heart was pounding too fast from exhaustion.

“Okay...sure!  We'll see him...let's keep going!”  Yuuma said, knowing exactly how Fuuya felt.  He had felt he same when he and Shark had been apart after all.

Fuuya gave a small groan and climbed the stairs. Almost there… almost…

He practically cried and collapsed as they arrived at the entrance.

Yuuma was right behind him every step of the way.  He collapsed with a groan as he reached the top stair.  

“We...made it...”  He groaned.  

“Kill me…” Fuuya groaned, panting, feeling himself sweating like a pig.

“If Yuuma kills you, I’ll push him down those stairs.” A familiar voice chuckled. Yamikawa walked towards them, a soft smile on his face. “Hello.'

“No way...”  Yuuma murmured, just as tired and sweaty.  He looked up when he spotted Yamikawa, grinning.

“Wouldn't dream of it! Hey, how's it going?”  He said, getting up to his feet slowly, leaving the pack on the ground to give his back a break.

Yamikawa smiled and offered Fuuya a hand. “I’m well. It’s good to see you both!”

Fuuya smiled back and accepted Yamikawa's hand to help him get up.  He groaned a bit as he stood shakily.  Yuuma beamed.

“That's great!  It's nice to see you again too!”  Yuuma said.  Fuuya smiled at Yamikawa.

“It's good to see you too, Kawa...”  He murmured happily, unable to stop himself from hugging his boyfriend even though he was sweaty.  He didn't care and it wasn't like this was the first time they'd hugged after one or both of them was sweaty.

Yamikawa gave a light laugh and hugged Fuuya back, running his fingers through his hair.

“You’re out of shape, Fuuya,” Yamikawa teased. “Let me take those supplies. Master Rokujuro has tea and water inside for you two."

Fuuya chuckled a bit.  

“Yeah, I'm definitely not where I used to be...”  He said, smiling as Yamikawa stroked his hair.  Yuuma smiled at the two, not at all bothered by the hugging.

“I'm not as good as I was either.”  Yuuma chuckled.  

“That sounds great! Let's go!”  He said, newly re-energized by the promise of tea and seeing Rokujuro again.

Yamikawa parted from Fuuya and lead the two men inside. He couldn’t stop look looking at his partner, having missed him since they parted at the prison.

Fuuya walked in with Yuuma, following Yamikawa, even though the Duel Lodge hadn't changed much since he'd been here last.  Yuuma was looking around in awe, being reminded of the place.  Fuuya felt eyes on him briefly and spotted Yamikawa looking at him.  He smiled at him, blushing a bit as he gave his hand a small squeeze.  He'd missed his partner too.

“It’s been a while, Fuuya… Yuuma.” A voice echoed. Yamikawa groaned, opening his mouth to warn Yuuma but all of a sudden, Rokujuro jumped down from the roof and on to Yuuma’s back. “Dull as ever, Yuuma!”

Fuuya immediately looked up, since he knew Rokujuro attacked from above.  Yuuma yelped, but then laughed a bit as he recognized Rokujuro.

“You're still doing that?!” Yuuma exclaimed.  

“It keeps the mind sharp and my body moving,” Rokujuro laughed. “You’ve grown, Yuuma.”

Yuuma chuckled.  

“Yeah, I've grown a lot...it's nice to see you again, Jii-san!”  He grinned.  Fuuya smiled as he watched, happy to see Rokujuro again too.  He was glad he was doing well.

Rokujuro climbed down and stretched. “You boys look exhausted. Come and sit down. Have some tea. Tell me about your sister, Yuuma.”

“I’ll get it from the kitchen. Fuuya, you can follow if you’d like.” Yamikawa smiled

Yuuma nodded.

“Yeah sure!  She's doing great!  She and Charlie are expecting a child even!”  Yuuma said happily, starting his story with Rokujuro. Fuuya nodded.

“Sure.”  He said, following Yamikawa.

Yamikawa smiled and left the two talking. He slid the door to the old fashioned kitchen and put down the bags of food.

And then he hugged Fuuya.

“Forgive me… I’ve missed you.."

Fuuya had barely put the small amount of stuff he had been carrying down before he was swept up in Yamikawa's arms.  He gasped a bit and hugged Yamikawa back.  

“There's nothing to forgive...I missed you too, Kawa.”  He said with a smile.

“I apologise for not calling or emailing or anything… I’ve been trying to earn my place back here… But still even a letter would have been better..."

Fuuya smiled, pressing himself as close to Yamikawa as possible, wanting to remember what it was like to be in his arms, to take in his scent, and to just be with him.  He hadn't been able to do that in a long time after all.

“It's okay...I know how far away this place is, and how hard it is to keep in touch with the world around it.  And I figured you would be working hard too.”  

Yamikawa did as well. He didn’t care if he had to bend over to hug his partner. He just wanted to hold him like this… just to be with him. He hadn’t expected being like this… not outside of prison… not ever.

“How are you? What have you been doing?"

Fuuya smiled a bit wider as Yamikawa held him closer.  

“I've been re-adjusting to the outside...and trying to get a job.  No luck so far, unfortunately.  I have no experience and a criminal record...it's not a good combination.” Fuuya said.

“Maybe go back to small time theatre then… or you could stay here. The master could use more help…” That was a lie, but Yamikawa didn’t want to crush his boyfriend.

“I could try...I've never done anything but Robin though.  I'm not sure if I can do any other role...”  Fuuya murmured.  He knew the second half was a lie, but he appreciated Yamikawa's offer.  

“I'll figure something out, Kawa.  Don't worry.” He said.

“Alright… As long as you’re sure. You can do whatever you choose, I know you can,” Yamikawa smiled.

Fuuya smiled up at his boyfriend, gently pulling him down by his collar for a kiss.

“Thank you for the encouragement.”  Fuuya said.

Yamikawa’s eyes widened and he blushed, kissing his boyfriend softly back.

“It’s my pleasure..."

Fuuya smiled, blushing a bit as Yamikawa did.  He had missed being able to kiss him whenever he wanted.

“...We should probably get the food and tea out...Rokujuro and Yuuma are probably going to wonder what's taking so long...”  He said softly.  

“Yeah… or the master suspects,” Yamikawa chuckled, getting back up and grabbing the trays prepared, carrying them out.

Fuuya nodded.  If anyone would have noticed something, it would've been Rokujuro. Yuuma probably didn't care as much.  He took a tray himself and helped carry the stuff back to the room where Yuuma was still chatting away with Rokujuro.  

“Ah, you guys are back! Great!  I'm starving!”  Yuuma said with a grin.  Fuuya snorted a bit.

“That's not new...”  He murmured, placing the tray down.

Yamikawa smiled and knelt down, sitting on the floor and the low table that the others were around. He squeezed Fuuya’s hand, looking better that he had in ages

Fuuya smiled and squeezed Yamikawa's hand back, feeling very happy to be with him again.  Yuuma grinned as he helped himself to some of the food.  

“I was just telling Jii-san about the wedding for Shark and I!  We got engaged!”  Yuuma said to Yamikawa, showing him the ring that matched his Key.  

“And you guys are all invited, so you'd better come down from the Duel Lodge for it!”  

“Wow…” Yamikawa admired it. “If the master says we can go, I suppose we can."

Rokujuro smiled and nodded.

“We'll make it, even if it means Yamikawa has to carry me down.”  He noted.  Yuuma cheered.

“Great!  You'll get to meet all our friends that are coming too.” Yuuma said with a grin.  

Yamikawa knew his master was more than capable of doing it himself, but he just nodded his agreement.

“It will nice to see Shark again, won’t it?"

“It has been awhile since we last saw Shark up here...I believe the last time you two had to be rushed to hospital because Yuuma fell in a ditch and Shark fell in as well trying to save you.”  Rokujuro said with a small chuckle.  Yuuma pouted.

“Shark was embarrassed and didn't want to come back up here again...”  He mused.

Yamikawa laughed. “Yeah, that sounds about right. I remember carrying you both down the mountain."

“You did?  I didn't remember...I was out cold after the fall!” Yuuma said with a chuckle.  Fuuya smiled.  

“I don't think I was up that time...sounds eventful.”  He said.

“It was…” The man murmured. “It was interesting.”

“Never a dull moment with Yuuma here...”  Rokujuro mused.  Yuuma grinned sheepishly.  Fuuya smiled, leaning his head on Yamikawa's shoulder slightly.

“It’s been a long day… we should draw you both a bath and let you rest"

Yuuma nodded.

“That sounds great...we'll do more chitchat tomorrow!”  He said with a grin.  Fuuya smiled.

“That does sound nice...” He said, still leaning against Yamikawa.

“We have separate rooms for you both…” Yamikawa said, looking at Fuuya. “So feel free to go."

Yuuma nodded, getting up and heading to his room.  Fuuya took Yamikawa's hand.

“Can you come with me?” He asked.

Yamikawa smiled. “Excuse me, master,” he said, bowing and following him.

Rokujuro smiled and nodded, understanding that the couple wanted to spend time together.  Fuuya smiled, leading Yamikawa to the room where there was a bath and a bed big enough for them to share.  He smiled.

“Can we stay in this room together?”  He asked.

Yamikawa hugged him. “Thanks… I do..."

Fuuya smiled and hugged him back.

“Great!”  He said.

“… I’ve missed you so much…”

“I have too...I love you.” Fuuya said, smiling.

He hugged him tight. “I should let you bathe."

Fuuya nodded and blushed a bit.  

“Yeah I guess...it wouldn't be good to snuggle unless I'm clean.”  

“I’m not necessarily clean myself.” Yamikawa teased

Fuuya blushed a bit deeper.

“Um...we could um...share a bath?”  He suggested.

Yamikawa paused but he chuckled. “You’re so forward."

Fuuya blushed, looking away for a moment.

“I'm not sure...well, how to go about this?  We haven't been able to do anything like this in years...”  Fuuya said.

“… I’d like that, It would be nice…” He murmured.

Fuuya smiled and chuckled a bit shyly.  

“Okay...then, let's go.” He said, forcing himself to be more like Robin so his face wouldn't become a tomato.

“You don’t have to defend yourself against me.” The man smiled, hugging him.

Fuuya smiled a bit and hugged him back.

“I can't help it...if I don't I feel like I'll die of embarrassment.”  He said with a small blush.

“You’re so cool.” He hugged him tight. “it’s fine..."

Fuuya smiled happily.  

“Thanks...”  He said, so glad that he had such a caring boyfriend.

Yamikawa picked him up and carried him towards the bathroom, laughing at him.

Fuuya yelped a bit in surprise, but he smiled happily as Yamikawa carried him.  He blushed and chuckled a bit as Yamikawa laughed.

Yamikawa put him in the tub, clothes on and all.

Fuuya yelped and chuckled, laughing a bit as he was dumped in.

“Was that really necessary?” He asked with a chuckle.

Yamikawa got in, still clothed, and kissed him as well.

"Yes..."

Fuuya smiled, giving Yamikawa room to get in before snuggling up against him.  He was honestly a little relieved to be fully clothed with Yamikawa in a tub.  It made him feel less shy and more comfortable.  He kissed him back.  

“Thanks...”  He said softly.

Yamikawa kissed him again and again. “I’m glad…”

Fuuya kissed Yamikawa back each time, so glad to be with him again and relishing the ability to kiss him for as long and as often as he wanted.  He smiled happily.  

“Me too.”  

Yamikawa curled his arms around him. “Shall we bathe?"

Fuuya blushed a bit and nodded.

“Yeah...”  He said, letting Yamikawa hold him.  He took a quick breath to give himself some courage before carefully starting to take off the top of Yamikawa's kimono for him, deciding to start with the upper body first.

“I can wash your back...and you can do mine?”  He suggested softly.

Yamikawa smiled. “Of course we can..."

Fuuya smiled, helping Yamikawa pull his arms out of the sleeves and letting the kimono fabric pool down around his hips, still keeping his lower body covered for now.  Then Fuuya grabbed the soap.

“Here, turn around...” He said.

Yamikawa turned around and closed his eyes. “Tell me everything about what happened."

Fuuya dipped the soap into the water and then rubbed it in his hands.  He gently began to rub the soap onto Yamikawa's back with a smile.  

“Hmm...well, I'm staying with Droite as you know.  We've gotten into a general schedule...she works long hours, so I usually just spend the time going out and applying for jobs.  We've talked a bit about stuff...I met her friend Gauche, who's big and intimidating, but not too tough deep down.”  Fuuya explained.  

“I met with Yuuma and his friends.  I've also seen Gilag, and I met his little brother, Ponta.  We had a little “ESPer Robin” episode in the park, since he's a fan of Robin and his friend who is hospitalized is too.”  Fuuya said with a smile in memory.  He gently began washing the soap off of Yamikawa's back once he was done.

“Okay...your turn to do me, and to tell me what you've been doing...you seem more muscular, so I assume you're training?”  Fuuya asked.

“I see…” Yamikawa said, enjoying his partner’s smooth hands on his back. He closed his eyes, imagining his partner in the woman’s house and interacting with the people.

When the scrub was done, he smiled and turned around, helping Fuuya out of his clothes. “Of course… punishment from the master for getting myself arrested, getting myself used to the routine of the lounge, scrubbing the statues..."

Fuuya stayed still and let Yamikawa take off his top, listening to what he had to say.  He nodded.

“It sounds like the usual then...I hope the punishment wasn't too harsh.  It was my fault too after all...”  Fuuya said sadly, lowering his head a bit.  He had been struck by grief when his mother died and if he'd been able to deal with it better, maybe he and Yamikawa would have never gone to jail to begin with.

“It wasn’t. Don’t worry. It was just him showing how he was worried. Master Rokujuro is like a father to me.” He said, getting Fuuya to turn around so he could wash his body. However, before he started, he kissed Fuuya’s neck.

“I love you."

Fuuya nodded in understanding.  He knew how close Rokujuro and Yamikawa were...of course Rokujuro would have been worried about Kawa.  

“I see...that makes sense. But the punishment is over now, right? It's just you training regularly now.” He clarified, before turning around when Yamikawa was ready.  He felt Yamikawa kiss his neck, making his face heat up in a blush at both the words he spoke and the action itself.  Nevertheless he was smiling as he curled his knees to his chest and buried his face in it to hide his embarrassed red face.  

“Yes, just regular training…” Yamikawa murmured quietly. He chuckled, seeing Fuuya’s reaction and hand his fingers through Fuuya’s hair. “I forgot how adorable you were."

Fuuya smiled a bit as Kawa put his hand on his head.

"And I forgot how cheesy and romantic you can be..." He said.

“I’ve been hiding it for years. I’ve had time to think of some extra ones.” He laughed quietly.

Fuuya chuckled, smiling at Kawa.

"I'd like anything you come up with...you don't have to try and impress me." Fuuya said, nuzzling into Yamikawa's hand.

“I want to try impress you. You know you’ve always been out of my league, and I just want to let you know how much you mean to me.” Yamikawa laughed

Fuuya blinked in surprise.

"Me? Out of your league?" He asked in surprise before shaking his head and blushing.

"No...it's more the other way around...I feel a need to impress you cause you're amazing."

Yamikawa gave a small laugh. “I’m a poor gang member who was pretty much going to jail anyway before I met Master Rokujuro. And then you were a rising star, the definition of success. How could I ever think of being like this with you?

Fuuya listened to Kawa and smiled a bit.

"That's how you saw me? I felt more like a scared, lonely kid who could never be himself with anyone. And you were the master martial artist, the cool guy...someone who would probably think I was lame and tease me." Even though he hadn't had friends, he had seen movies. Fuuya knew cool kids didn't hang out with scaredy cats. He chuckled.

"I couldn't believe it when you approached me...when you were interested in me." Fuuya said with a smile, hugging him.

"I'm just so happy you're with me..."

Yamikawa looked surprised at this and he covered his mouth, chuckling. He hugged his partner back. “I wish I could stay with you all the time. I’m happy to be with you too…”

Fuuya smiled, snuggling up to Kawa.

"Yeah. That's what I want too." He said happily. They were being ridiculous in the tub, still half clothed, but both men were happy.

They were allowed to be ridiculous. After holding their walls up in prison for so long, they could be free like this now.

"I guess we can get out now...were probably clean." Fuuya said with a chuckle.

“We just got in… but if you wish, I don’t mind.”

Fuuya chuckled.

"You're right...there's no rush is there? Part of me still isn't used to that, since we had limited bathing times in prison." Fuuya said.

Yamikawa sighed. “It’s going to be a while before we get out of prison habits, but it’s alright. We have years ahead of us.” Yamikawa pulled Fuuya into his lap and put his forehead on Fuuya’s shoulder.

Fuuya blushed a bit as he was pulled into the position, but relaxed in Kawa's arms. He smiled.

"Yeah...we do. Well break them together." He agreed.

Yamikawa slowly entwined their fingers together and closed his eyes. “I love you so much..."

"I love you too." Fuuya said, squeezing Kawa's hand. He held him close with his free arm and rested against him.

“… When I inherit the dojo, I want you to move in with me. Rokurjuro still has a few decades left, but… if you want to wait, that option is open…” Yamikawa murmured.

Fuuya smiled wider.

"I'd go with you anywhere...I would love to stay here with you." He said.

Yamikawa smiled and hugged him tighter. Just the two of them alone here, without the world coming down on them. It would be so perfect.

Fuuya smiled. He was happy with that idea. He held Kawa closer and pictures of what their life would be together. He would definitely enjoy the dojo, but anyplace with Yamikawa would do.

They stayed in the bath for quite awhile, enjoying each other's company.  But Fuuya was still exhausted from the climb up, and was slowly dozing off in the tub, still wrapped up in Yamikawa's arms.

Yamikawa gave a smile and nudged him. “Come on… let’s get you in bed, okay?"

Fuuya blinked sleepily as he was nudged, yawning.  

“Yeah...that sounds good. I'm tired out from the long climb today...”  He murmured, still making very little effort to move.  The water wasn't as warm anymore, but Yamikawa's lap and arms were comfortable.  He felt like he wanted to stay there forever.

Yamikawa chuckled. He slowly pulled his partner off and then picked Fuuya up, still dripping wet. “Come on. You’re not a child"

Fuuya did not protest at all when Yamikawa gently moved him, pouting a bit from the lack of warmth. But he knew it was necessary.  He smiled a bit and leaned his head onto Kawa's shoulder as he was picked up.  

“When you pick me up all the time...it's hard to remember that I'm not...”  He said softly.

“You’re just short,” he teased. He carried him off and set him down, passing to him a towel.

Fuuya pouted a bit.

“I'm not that short...” He muttered, letting Yamikawa set him down and give him a towel.  He dried off his upper body and hair slowly before shrugging off his pants from under his towel, drying his lower body discreetly.  He wrapped the towel around his waist, picking up his wet clothes and waiting for Yamikawa to be ready before going into the bedroom.

Yamikawa did the same and walked out first, going to get them both simple yukatas to wear.

Fuuya got dressed slowly, eyes drooping drowsily as he did so.  He was the first one to finish getting dressed, but when Yamikawa was almost done, Fuuya smiled and hugging him gently from behind.

“Can we still share a bed? I want to snuggle more...”  He said softly.  They hadn't shared a bed in forever.

Yamikawa chuckled. “I’m sure Master Rokujuro will permit me to spend time with you. Let’s rest…”

Fuuya smiled.  

“Okay...good.”  He said, heading over to the bed and lying down, waiting for Kawa to join him.

Yamikawa slipped in and wrapped his arms around Fuuya’s small frame. “Goodnight, Fuuya. Rest easy."

Fuuya smiled as Yamikawa held him close, and rested his head on Yamikawa's chest.  He wrapped his arms around him and closed his eyes.

“I will...goodnight, Kawa. I love you.”  He said softly.

-x-

Vector packed up his laptop carefully, wanting to take it while he visited Haruto, in case the other was sleeping.  He could work on it while waiting for him to wake up.  He hadn't seen the younger Tenjo in awhile and wanted to talk to him, to see how his condition was fairing.  Also, he had to tell him about his own condition...Haruto deserved to know.

“Takashi, I'm going...I'll see you later.”  Vector said softly, kissing his boyfriend's cheek on his way out.

Takashi looked up from his own laptop and he smiled. “Alright. Call me if you need anything. I’ll see you later, Vector.”

"Sure thing. See you." Vector said with a smile. He headed out to catch the bus to the hospital where Haruto was staying. Since he knew which room the boy was in thanks to Kaito, Vector didn't need to see the front desk and have them take his name. He had been in hospital enough to know their visiting hours so he wouldn't get in trouble.

He reached Haruto's room to find the door open, and the boy was awake, thankfully. He smiled and entered.

"Hey Haruto."

Haruto had been watching TV, tired but unable to sleep. He had been struggling to breathe lately and had been hooked up to more machines. Everything was hurting again, but he didn’t want to call a doctor just yet. He was too tired to…

“Nii-san?” He groaned and looked over. His eyes widened and he smiled. “Ms. Varian… Hi…”

Vector smiled as he was recognized, entering the room and approaching the bed.  He sat down on the vacant chair next to Haruto.

“How are you doing Haruto? I just came by to say hi, but I'm surprised Kaito isn't with you.  Are you expecting him later?”  Vector asked.

“I’ve been better…” Haruto mumbled. “I’m happy to see you, Ms. Varian."

“Yeah… I told Nii-san to go home for a while because he’s always here and hassling over me,” Haruto said. He was alright without his brother… even though being with Kaito was better, at least he didn’t have to listen to the pain in his sibling’s voice. “He’ll be back with something nice to eat…”

“You've been better huh? Well, then that makes two of us.” Vector commented with a sigh.  He smiled a bit.

“That's Kaito for you...hopefully he's getting some rest in the meantime.  I can stay until he comes if you want.”  Vector said.  

“Thanks, Ms. Varian. I’d like that.” Haruto smiled.

“… Ms. Varian. I’m always asking my brother and the doctors to look at my medical charts but no one ever explains it to me, and I can’t reach it. You never treat me like a kid… Can you go and read it to me?"

Vector smiled, before it faded a bit while he listened to Haruto's request.  He knew very well how protective Kaito was over Haruto and how he was probably used to treating him like a kid, and the doctors probably thought he couldn't understand what was happening to him.  But Vector knew Haruto was smarter than that and he deserved to know what was happening to his body. Vector nodded.

“Sure.  Let's have a look here and we'll figure out what's happening.”  Vector said, fetching Haruto's medical chart and opening it to read the file.  He looked it over with a frown.  

“You've been diagnosed with Churg-Strauss syndrome, and these tests that have been done are to test for your white-blood cell count in various places.”  He explained, before frowning deeply as he saw the results.  

“...You're in pain because your blood vessels are becoming inflamed.  This is characteristic of the final stage of the disease, which leads to cell death...”  Vector said with a small sigh.

“I'm sorry Haruto...but, at this point, you're at risk for blood clotting.  If you get a clot in the wrong place, like say, your heart, you could die very quickly.” Vector said, looking at Haruto with a somber look as he said that.

Haruto frowned as he listened to the news, thinking of his body as Vector explained. He was definitely going to die. He was definitely going to die and die very quickly. The thought terrified him- the idea that his brother or Ponta could suddenly walk in and find him dead. He closed his eyes and shook his head.

“Ms. Varian… Thanks…” he murmured. “At least now I know… But I’m worried about Ponta and my brother… My brother especially. If I’m going to die, he’s going to be hurt. Even with Chris around…” He bit his lip. “I wish I could talk to him about this…”

Vector watched him carefully, gently putting an arm around him for comfort.  

“If the doctors have been honest with Kaito...he probably already knows.”  Vector supplied.  He sighed.

“I feel the same way...I'm dying too, you know.  The treatment for my cancer isn't working like it did with your brother.  I worry about the same thing, except it's Takashi who'll be hurt if he wakes up and I'm dead next to him.”  Vector said softly.  

“And if you can't talk to them now...you could always leave something to talk to them later with.” Vector suggested, an idea coming to mind suddenly.

“…” Haruto leaned into Vector’s arm and sighed. How come they had to die? He had this illness for his whole life, but for the first time, he found it wasn’t fair.

“… What do you mean by that? Like a voice mail?”

Vector didn't think it was fair either, especially to Haruto.  At least he had lived almost thirty years...Haruto hadn't even made it out of his teens.  

“Kinda...here, it'll make more sense if I show you what I've been working on.”  Vector said, grabbing his laptop case and pulling out the device. He switched it on and once it powered up, he opened his model to show Haruto.

“Here...this is my model. I've been working on translating emotions, physical movements, thoughts and memories into computer code and synching it with this model.  Its purpose is to try and make sure that Takashi and other people don't miss me. If a Haruto model existed, then it might reassure your brother too.”

Haruto looked, eyes wide. He had forgotten that this technology existed in his sickness. He stared at it in fascination then looked at Vector.

“Does it work?"

Vector snorted.

“Of course it does!  I made it after all.”  He mused, loading one of the finished parts to show the model making faces and moving around.  It even said a few phrases completely on its own.  

“It isn't done yet, so there's not much to show, unfortunately.  It needs a bigger memory base than this computer...I've been transferring finished codes to another larger storage unit so that it can do things more independently.”  Vector said.

Haruto watched with wide and starry eyes. “Wow…” He looked up at Vector and tugged his sleeve. “Can you make a model for me? I mean… it would mean a lot to my brother…”

Vector smiled.

“I can try...it probably won't be as complete as this one.  But at the very least, we can probably leave your model a message for Kaito.” He said.

“That would be so good! If you can do that… Thank you so much, Ms. Varian”

Vector nodded.

“I said I'll try Haruto. It's no problem.”  Vector said, closing his model and opening up a new thing. He figured he could work on the physical aspects as long as he had Haruto here before him.

“I'm going to program your physical features into the model first.”  He said, thankful that he had a template to go off from his own model. That would make things much easier. He would just have to adjust things like its height and hair color/style.  He began to type in codes.

“What should I tell my brother in the message?” Haruto asked

“That's up to you...take your time to think about something meaningful to the both of you.  This will be your last message to him from beyond the grave...so you should try to make it count.”  Vector said.

“… Yeah…” Haruto slumped into his bed, hoping to think something good up in time

Vector smiled a bit at Haruto, pausing in his typing to gently pat his head.

“But, for the record, I'm sure Kaito would love anything you say...so don't beat yourself up about it, okay?”  He said gently.

“I know… But I want to say something helpful… I love him so much. I don’t want to leave him alone…"

Vector smiled.

“You'll think of something...and he won't be alone.  He has Chris, and other friends like Yuuma who won't let him sulk for long.”  

“But he won’t have a brother anymore…” Haruto mumbled

“He won't...but he'll have to deal with it.  Kaito's strong...he'll deal with it.”  Vector reassured him.

“…” Haruto looked at the window and sighed. “.. I don’t want to die either,” he mumbled.

“I don't either, Haruto...but we can't control that...”  Vector said sadly.  

“…” Haruto looked around and grabbed a paper and pen Kaito had left him and quietly started writing.

Vector stayed silent, focusing on his codes to give Haruto some privacy while he wrote out his message.

Haruto looked at Vector and paused. “… How long do you have, Ms. Varian?"

“I'm not sure...it depends on how quickly and where the cancer spreads.  But it's not long...I'd be very lucky to last another year...” Vector said softly.

“… Sorry to hear that..."

Vector sighed.

“Don't worry about me, Haruto.  I'll be fine.”  He said softly.

Haruto strained a smile. “So how come you don’t have to be in hospital and I do?"

“Because I'm stubborn and refuse to be institutionalized.  I'd much rather be at home...plus, I don't really need the medication that you do at the moment.  I'm not in too much pain.”  He said.

“I’d rather be home too but I need to be hooked up to machines… breathing has been hard lately"

“I understand...don't worry. I'll have my dues to pay in the hospital eventually...my lungs might lose their ability to function on their own. And my body is dying out...I will probably die in hospital eventually.”  

“… Thanks Ms Varian. You treat me like an adult and you can talk to me about it… Makes me feel better…”

Vector smiled.

“It's nice to talk to someone about it...I'm here for you.”  He said.

Haruto smiled. “How long have you been working on your project?"

“Pretty much since I discovered I had cancer...but I had the model itself since even earlier.”  Vector said.

“Is it supposed to be like… a replacement boyfriend?"

“Ah?  Well...I guess.  It's mostly for Takashi's sake...but I don't want him to obsess over it. So, I guess it'll be mostly just for companionship, since nothing can really replace a real boyfriend.”  Vector explained.  

“Yeah… but you’re who you are now.” Haruto smiled.

“Yeah...that's right.” He said softly, smiling at Haruto.

“Thanks, Haruto.”  

“No problem.” Haruto said, lying back.

Vector kept typing away on the computer, building a Haruto model.  He had finished one side after awhile.  He planned to make a few more in order to make the Haruto model three dimensional like his own was.

“Here, Haruto.  I made one side of your model, see?”  Vector said.  

Haruto looked up and he smiled. “Yes! I’d love to!"

Vector showed Haruto the model.  

“Right now he's two dimensional, but I can make it 3D in time.”  He said.

“Wow… And you can make him say my message?"

“Yeah.  Just tell me what you want him to say and I'll make him say it.”  Vector said.

“… I’ll figure it out. I want to make it something I can’t say to my brother while I’m alive."

“Sure.  Just let me know what it is you want to say when you've thought of it.”  Vector said with a smile.

“Thanks Ms Varian…” He sighed. “Right..."

“Haruto. I’m here. I have lunch.” Kaito called. Haruto hid the paper he was writing on under his pillow, even though Kaito couldn’t see what exactly he was doing.

“Hi, Nii-san!”

Vector quickly exited the model into something else.  He smiled at Kaito.

“Hey!  I was just visiting your brother.”  He said.

Kaito nearly jumped out of his skin. not having heard Vector. He looked towards the man and forced himself to keep composure, not wanting to look dumb.

“… Hey… What are you two up to?"

Vector chuckled as Kaito jumped.  

“Sorry I didn't mean to startle you!”  He said with a smile.  

“That's a secret~”  He cooed, winking at Haruto.

Haruto laughed and Kaito frowned a little.

“Well… I hope it’s not a bad secret"

“It's not a bad secret...just a secret.”  Vector said with a grin.

“Right…” Kaito went to put the food on the side table and sat down on the bed.

Vector smiled innocently and Haruto chuckled.  

“Don't worry Nii-san, it's nothing bad.”  

“How are you feeling? Kaito asked, despite having seen Haruto a few hours ago.

Haruto smiled, trying to mask his pain and exhaustion from his brother.

“I'm doing okay, Nii-san.” He said.

Kaito smiled and petted his hand. “Good to hear… Hungry?"

“A little.”  Haruto said, smiling as his head was pet. Vector smiled.

“You two eat if you want. I can leave if you want me to.” He said.

“It’s up to Haruto. I don’t mind…”

“You can stay unless you have somewhere to be, Ms. Varian!”  Haruto said with a smile, taking the food his brother had brought and eating it slowly.  Vector smiled.

“I don't really have anywhere to be at the moment.”  

“How have you been keeping?” Kaito asked, hearing just how… gaunt Vector sounded.

“I've been okay...just hanging in there.”  He said with a small smile.

“Sounds good” He nodded

Vector nodded, returning to his work on his computer.  Haruto watched out of the corner of his eye, curious on what Vector was doing.  

“Ms. Varian's really good with computers, Nii-san.”  Haruto noted to Kaito with a smile.

Kaito looked over in Vector’s direction and shot him a small smirk. “Yes… I’m more than familiar with that. What is he working on now? Or is that your secret?"

Vector rolled his eyes a bit and chose not to comment as he worked.  

Haruto blinked.

“How'd you know that he was good with computers, Nii-san?  I didn't know until Ms. Varian showed me the project...did you know about it too?!”  He asked, surprised.  Vector shook his head.

“Nope, the project is a secret...I've only told my uncle and you, Haruto.”  

“No, but I’ve been to Takashi’s house before, remember? Ms. Varian showed me her expertise.” Kaito said, slightly twisting the story of what really happened all those years ago.

“Oh!  That's right!  I forgot you probably have known her a bit longer.”  Haruto said with a smile.  Vector nodded.

“Kaito has known me a bit longer.”  Vector mused.

The man rolled his eyes and chuckled. “Though Haruto probably knows more about you than I do.”

Vector nodded.

“Yeah.  Haruto, you probably do.”  He said.  Haruto beamed.  

“That's great!  I'm glad to have known you, Ms. Varian.”  He said happily.  Vector smiled.

“Same to you, Haruto.”

Kaito gave a small sigh. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.

Vector smiled.  

“Alright, I'd better get going...Takashi's probably going to start worrying about me.  I'll come back and visit you soon, Haruto.”  Vector said, getting up and closing his computer.

“Bye Ms. Varian.” Haruto smiled.

“Thanks for stopping by. Send my regards to Takashi for me alright?” Kaito said

“Sure, I'll do that.” Vector said.  He approached Haruto and whispered softly.  

“When you're ready with the message, let me know.”  He told him so Kaito wouldn't hear.

Haruto smiled and nodded. “Alright… Thank you..."

“No problem.  I'll see you later.”  He said softly, patting Haruto's head.  

Kaito saw Vector out and he turned to his brother. “Was he here for long?"

“She was here for a bit, yeah.  It was nice of Ms. Varian to visit.”  Haruto said with a smile.

“Hope I didn’t chase her out."

“You didn't, Nii-san. It's okay.  Ms. Varian doesn't mind you...but we're working on a secret project, and you can't know about it.”  He said with a small cheeky smile.

“Ah… Now I’m nervous. Two of the smartest people I know are conspiring against me,” Kaito said, ruffling his brother’s hair.

Haruto giggled.

“It's nothing bad Nii-san, you'll see eventually.”  Haruto said.

“Better be a good surprise. You haven’t given me one in a while,” Kaito teased, flicking his brother’s nose playfully.

Haruto smiled, though internally he felt a bit bad.  The surprise wouldn't be one Kaito would see until after his death.  

“It'll be a good one, Nii-san...it'll help you feel better.  You'll see.”  He said.

“Yeah… I know it will be. I trust you, Haruto.” Kaito smiled.

Haruto smiled at his brother happily, before lying back down with a sigh.  

“It'll be okay...”  He said softly.

It sounded odd to Kaito. Usually Kaito would be the one reassuring his brother, but he still smiled anyway and he nodded.

“Yeah… I know it will."

-x-

Fuuya was very warm when he woke up, feeling arms wrapped around him and the steady sound of soft breathing underneath him.  He opened his eyes slowly to realize he was in the Duel Lodge, and Yamikawa was also in his bed.  He wasn't surprised, recalling the previous night when he had invited Kawa to join him in his bed.  Fuuya smiled, snuggling closer to Yamikawa happily.  He was very happy to be able to spend time with Yamikawa.

Yamikawa knew that he was going to get pounded with a broom when he realised that he had woken up late for his morning chores, but he figured that an hour of polishing statues was definitely worth cuddling his lover. He felt Fuuya stir and he looked down at him through half-closed eyes, smirking a little.

Fuuya glanced up at Yamikawa, expecting to see his sleeping face, but his eyes widened in surprise when he saw that Kawa was awake and watching him.  His cheeks flushed a bit, but he smiled regardless.

“Morning...”  He said softly.

“Morning, sleepyhead.” Yamikawa smiled. “How are you feeling?”

Fuuya smiled.

“Happy...that you're here.” He said, snuggling up to Yamikawa, not wanting to get up just yet.

Yamikawa kissed his forehead. “You know that I have training, right?”

“Oh yeah...that's right.” Fuuya murmured, frowning as he thought of what to do.

“Well um...can I join you? I'm probably rusty, but I'd like to practice anyway.”  

“You want to train? … Well… I won’t stop you. May be entertaining"

“I brought my whip...we could spar.”  Fuuya said.

Yamikawa raised an eyebrow. “Why would you bring your whip to the duel lodge? Did you want to train? Or was it because… of other reasons.” He teased, whispering in Fuuya’s ear

Fuuya's face went entirely red as a tomato at that statement and he buried his face into Yamikawa's chest to hide it as best he could.

“It was just for training...” He murmured.

Yamikawa laughed and hugged Fuuya close. “I know, love. I’m kidding"

Fuuya pouted a bit, but smiled as he was hugged closer.  

“Why would you want to use it for anything else...I wouldn't want to hurt you.  I love you.”  Fuuya said softly.

“i’m teasing, I’m teasing. I love you too.” He reassured quickly

“I know.”  Fuuya said with a smile, kissing Kawa's cheek gently.

“… We’d better get up. I’m surprised the master hasn’t woken us up yet.”

“Right.  Maybe he's taking it easy on us because it's our first day.”  Fuuya said with a small smile.  He reluctantly untangled himself from Kawa, sitting up to stretch a bit.

“I doubt it… more likely he’s tormenting Yuuma instead of us,” Yamikawa mused.

Fuuya chuckled.

“Maybe.  Yuuma might get some training too while he's here.” He said, getting some new clothes out from his bag so he could get changed.

“I bet he is right now,” Yamikawa mused, going to the cupboard to get a new uniform.

“Probably.”  Fuuya said, changing quickly.  

“We need to get out of here and out there before Rokujuro notices.”  He said, before a knock on the door was heard.

“What're you two doing slacking off?  Get out here!”  Rokujuro exclaimed through the door.

Yamikawa gave a sharp wince and closed his eyes. He was regretting this already. He threw his clothes on and opened the door, bowing to the tiny master.

“I apologise. I was not aware of the time.”

Fuuya yelped a bit too, scrambling to get ready faster.

“We'll be out right away!” He called.

“You'd better be!” Rokujuro replied.

Yamikawa was already dressed and he put his stoic face on. “What do you want me to do, master?” He was late in chores, so he wasn’t sure if he had to start from the beginning or continue where he would at this hour.

“Luckily for you, Yuuma's been doing your chores until now.  You can pick up where he left off.”  Rokujuro said.  

“As for you, Fuuya, you can help get breakfast ready.”  He said. Fuuya nodded.

“Yes sir.”  

Yamikawa felt a bit sorry for Yuuma, seeing as he usually got up at five in the morning. It was now eight or nine… He was very, very behind schedule.

“Yes master.” He nodded to them both and headed outside. Rokujuro watched him leave before he shot a smirk at Fuuya.

“Never seen him so happy before, which is surprising, since he’s been ecstatic to see you”

Fuuya smiled a bit.  

“He is happy...and I am too.” He replied.  

“He’s going to take over this lodge some day… and yet he really doesn’t have discipline. He’s crazy over you… ah to be young and in love like that.” Rokujuro laughed, walking Fuuya to the kitchen.

Fuuya smiled a bit at the first part.  

“I'm sure you'll have taught him discipline by the time he takes over...you're not quite ready to retire yet are you, Master?”  Fuuya said. He blushed a bit at the second half.

“I'm glad, cause I'm crazy for him too...”  He murmured.

Rokujuro gave a light chuckle. “I still have a few years left in me. Don’t worry.”

He shook his head. “Sure..."

Fuuya nodded.

“I thought as much.” He replied.  When they reached the kitchen, he pulled out some of the ingredients that he and Yuuma had lugged up the stairs yesterday to prepare a meal big enough for the four current occupants of the Duel Lodge.

“Hmm...I guess I have enough rice for onigiri here...”  Fuuya mused, starting to make the riceballs.  

“You carried a lot. Thanks so much, by the way. This will feed us for a few months with proper rationing.” Rokujuro smiled.

“It helps when you have two people carrying stuff.”  Fuuya said with a chuckle.  Suddenly Yuuma burst into the kitchen, looking rather exhausted.

“I forgot how painful chores here are.”  He gasped. Fuuya laughed.  

“Don't worry Yuuma, you'll feel better with some food.”

“You’re not even done half of Yamikawa’s chores. Usually he doesn’t eat for another hour.” Rokujuro said, getting a bowl of leftover soup from the fridge.

Yuuma pouted.

“Well now that Yamikawa's on it, they'll get done faster!”  Yuuma exclaimed.  Fuuya smiled as he continued making breakfast.

“Sorry for being late waking up Yuuma.  We went to bed late.”  He said. Yuuma smirked.

“I figured you two would need some catching up time...that's what Shark and I needed after he got out too.”

“I hope you didn’t do something inappropriate. I’m an old man. I don’t need that smell here.” Rokujuro said, sipping his bowl.

Fuuya's eyes widened and his face heated up.

“W-what!?  No!  We just fell asleep that's all!”  He stammered, flustered.  Yuuma laughed.

“Maybe not on the first night, but it might happen eventually!”  He mused.  Fuuya quickly turned back to his meal preparations, trying to hide his face.

Rokujuro forgot how easy it was to fluster Fuuya. He laughed and watched the man in the kitchen, thinking about something or another.

Fuuya continued working on the rice balls, trying to get his mind out of the gutter and to ignore the laughter of his master.  Yuuma grinned.

“Looks good, Fuuya! I'm sure they'll be great.”  He said happily.  

“Mm… How long will you two be staying?” Rokujuro asked  suddenly

Yuuma looked up in surprise before he frowned as he thought it over.

“Hmm...I'm not sure. Maybe a couple of days?  I have to get back down to work eventually...”  He said.  Fuuya smiled.

“I don't have a job yet...I can stay as long as you'll have me.  I wanted to get some training done.”  Fuuya replied.

“Alright…” The man smiled and looked at the two more kindly.

“We have no other travellers to the lodge, so we can house you, Fuuya.” Rokujuro nodded

Fuuya smiled.  

“Thank you Master.”  He said, finishing his breakfast.

“Here you go, Yuuma.” Fuuya offered, and Yuuma beamed.  

“Itadakimasu!”  He called, digging in ravenously.  Fuuya chuckled.

“Hmm...maybe I should bring some out to Kawa.”  He pondered, getting up with a small tray.  He headed outside to see where Yamikawa was in his chores.  

“Yamikawa?  I brought you some food...”  Fuuya called, looking around outside.  He gasped when he spotted something he hadn't seen in awhile.

Yamikawa’s chores in the late morning was woodchopping, since the nights up in the mountains were cold. However, the warm morning had prompted Yamikawa to take his shirt off as he chopped wood, muscles bulging and sweat dripping down his chiselled abs as he worked.

He wiped the sweat off his brow and smiled. He wasn’t tired, he hadn’t been working too long, and gave a nod.

“Hey there… Thanks, Fuuya.” He smiled.

Fuuya could not help but stare at Yamikawa, noticing how in shape his body was.  God his boyfriend was hot...he couldn't help but blush again. He was speechless for a moment as Yamikawa approached him with his attractive smile.  

“Ah...no problem...” Fuuya managed to say once he'd regained control of his mouth.

Yamikawa blinked at his boyfriend’s slack-jawed expression before he gave a small chuckle. He took the food from Fuuya and smirked.

“You saw me half dressed last night. Why are you so surprised?"

Fuuya blinked and blushed harder.

“It was different!”  He protested.  It was true since in a bathtub he hadn't been able to see the full extent of Yamikawa's body.  

Also they had been watching each other’s backs. Yamikawa laughed at his boyfriend’s adorably embarrassed expression.

“Going to join me for breakfast or does the master and Yuuma still need you."

“They're both eating...I don't think they'd mind if I stayed here with you...”  He said softly with a smile.  He had brought his own breakfast on the tray that Yamikawa had.  

Yamikawa smiled and kissed his head before he sat on a log. “… You’re really cute..."

Fuuya smiled as his head was kissed, sitting down next to Yamikawa.

“And you're hot...”  He said softly.

“You sound so forward.” He mused. “Itadakimasu.” He said before eating.

Fuuya blushed at the words. He put his hands together gently.

“Itadakimasu.”  He said softly, before joining Kawa in eating.

“How is it?  I made the onigiri myself.”  

“It’s delicious,” The man smiled. “Thank you. It’s been a while since I’ve tasted your cooking."

Fuuya grinned.

“I'm glad...I've been practicing a bit at Droite's house.”  Fuuya said with a smile.

“How is she? Does she treat you well?”

“She's doing alright...she works a lot, so I don't see much of her.  But, she seems happy.  We've talked about Mom...and a few other things too.  She's shared a few stories with me about their dates...it sounds like they had lots of fun.  I can tell she misses her as much as I do...”  He said softly.

“Ah…” Yamikawa knew all about Fuuya’s mother. Since her disappearance and death, that was all Fuuya said. He offered a hand to Fuuya, wondering if he was okay.

Fuuya accepted the hand and squeezed it with a small smile.

“I'm feeling better about it now.  It helps to have Droite to talk about things with...”  He said.  It was true...he didn't cry as much anymore.  But it didn't mean that talking about his mother didn't make him sad, which Kawa probably noticed.  

“It's not like we talk about it all the time though!  Sometimes we talk about other things...like I talk about you.”  Fuuya said, changing the topic to something brighter.