New Beginnings

Tsukasa noticed the empty cup on the tray beside Tora's hand.

"Would you like some more ice water?"

"Oh, you don't hav-" but the young man had aleady wisked away the cup and was gone.

"He needs spomething to occupy his mind." Kisaki said, sitting down in Tsukasa's empty seat. "He's getting so nervous, he doesn't know what to do with himself."

Tora nodded and folded his hands ovr his lap. "He's not the only one."

"Hey, try not too worry too much, ok?" Kisaki placed a gentle hand over the others. "The worst they can say is everything you've known all along. I know it has to be hard, but.. Let youself hope a little. Don't be afraid to entertain the possibilty that maybe something can be done for you."

Tora looked up at the older man, his pitch black eyes seeming to bore into Kisaki's very soul, before his face split into such a smilew that warmed Kisaki's heart. The older man suddenly remembered where is hand was and pulled back with a slight frown.

"I never really knew you all that well," Tora said quietly, his eyes drifting back down to his own hands, "at least, not as well as Rose and Bou, and certainly not as well as Tsukasa."

The older man shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "Well, thats only to be expected, I guess. The four of you were all in the same grade, had classes together, several years behind myself Kirito and Toshiya. We all grew up in our own cliches and with our own problems like, well," he looked away, "you know."

"I often wonder what my life would have been like if... that... never happened." Tora gazed out the window, eyes lost in thought. "How different my life could have been! Maybe Tsukasa and I would still be together, like Bou and Kirito...maybe not, who knows. Alot can happen in five years time." He sighed and leaned back, streching his arms over his head. "All these years, no matter how hard things got, I could remember him... how he would laugh at the silliest of things.. how much he loved to go boweling... his smile..." he yawned. "Maybe I've just been selfish, holding onto an idea, but.. now I have that person back in my life again."

Kisaki found his eyes traveling over the lean torso streching out before him, then leaning forward to push up the sleeve that had fallen over one of Tora's narrow shoulders. "And are you finding it how you imagined?" he asked quietly. "Are you finding your love is the same?"

The younger man chuckled bitterly. "Not exactly, but.. who knows. Maybe things will change for the better, or maybe I'll just have to make the best of what time I have left." he frowned slightly. "I know not everything can be the same as it was, no matter what the tests say," he looked up at the other man, "But if I can have just one more chance, maybe I can finally find what really makes me happy."

The door flew open and Tsukasa burst into the small room, an exasperated look on his face.

"You would not beleive how many hoops one has to jump through just toget a patient some ice water!" he set the tall glass on the tray that had been wheeled up against Tora's bed. "Evidently you can't just egt anything normal for anyone. First the nurses have to look up in their little charts to see if he is allowed to have water just yet, then they still have to ask the doctor if it's ok!" He roled his eyes and flopped down on the edge of his bed. "I swear I-"

"ACK!" Tora cried as the cup of icey cold water toppled over, spilling into his lap and across his left leg.

"Ah! Gomen!" Tsukasa cried as the other man threw back the thin blanket covering his lower half and screambled backwards several inches. "I'll get.. something!" Tsukasa jumped up and dashed into the small bathroom adjacent to the small room, emerging a second later.

Kisaki took the small towel from the other man and began to dab quickly at the larg wet spot already seeping through the sheets. "Get another one, will you?" he asked and Tsukasa took off, running back with another towel as quickly as he could.

Suddenly, a high pitched shrill rang out, similar to the sound of an old rotary telephone. Tora and Kisaki both looked at Tsukasa, who blushed furiously, pointedly ignoring the cellphone in his pocket.

"Go ahead and asnwer it," Kisaki said, aving him away. "Could be important. I'll clean it up."

The younger man looked torn until Tora smiled reassuringly and nodded his head. Tsukasa smiled back and pulled out his phone as he made his way out of the room.

"Moshi moshi,"

"It's me, Rose," came an excited voice on the other end. "We got it!"

---

"Scoot over just a bit."

The younger man complied and Kisaki pressed down hard on the towel, trying to soak up as much of the cold water as possbile from the thick hospital mattress. Tora shifted as far as he could, moving the other blankets out of the way so they would not get any more wet then they already were.

"There, I think that is as good as it's going to get." He set the wet towels aside. "But you are nearly as wet as the bed. Do you want me to get you a new gown?"

Toa looked down at his soaked lower half and flushed slightly. "Please, if you would. It's getting a bit.. chilly." He plucked at the wet, nearly transulant gar,men stuck to his pale skin. "I wish they would just let me change back into my normal clothes."

Kisaki stood. "It would be popintless for you to change if they decided they wanted to run more tests or.. keep you.." He frowned, then turned around, ducking into the bathroom. He emerged a moment later with a large, fluffy terry cloth bathrobe. "Here, this will keep you warm until I come back with dry clothes." He opened it up and held it out for the other man to skip his arms inside.

Tora looked at him a moment, then reached behind him, fist pulling a string high up betweeh his shouldr blades, then on low around his hips and let the thin, wet white gown fall to their feet. Kisaki averted his eyes as the younger man turned around and stepped into the bathrobe, folding it around his thin body.

"Thank you," Tora murmered as a slight flush crept across both their faces.

"I'll... be right back." Kisaki scooped up the soiled gown on the floor and hurried out of the room.

---

Tsukasa paced up and down the hallway, his nervous excitement flowing out him in waves as he bobbed his head up and down, phone pressed tightly to one ear.

"Uh huh... yes, Rose.... no, I want to speak to him. I think.... yeah, I think it would be best if..." he closed his eyes as the older man recited the number to him, then he repeated it back, burning it into his mind. After another minute they bid their goodbyes and he hurried to program the number into his phone. His finger hovered over the Send button, when suddenly the door to Tora's room opened and Kisaki emerged, wet hospital gown in his hands.

"Rose and Kiyoharu got Tora's father's work number!" Tsukasa exclaimed.

"Eh?" Kisaki looked confused for a moment, then shook his head and smiled. "Oh, right. Great!" he held up Tora's gown. "I'm, uh, going to get some clean clothes for Tora."

"Ok," Tsukasa said. "I'm going to call is father... soon.. now....maybe." he looked suddenly uncertain, but Kisaki didn't seem to notice. The other man nodded and headed off towards the nurses stationa round the corner. Tsukasa's eyes followed the older man a moment, then he shrugged, only slightly puzzled at his friend's obvioudsly distracted state, and turned his attention back to his phone.

His thumb hovered other the button a moment, then he firmly pressed down on the small green button. He held the ohone up to his ear and leaned against the wall as it rang once, twice, then a deep older male voice answered.

Tsukasa took a deep breath and introduced himself.

---

Kisaki bowed slightly, accepting the clean hospital gown and fresh towels from the nurse and made his way back to Tora's room. He paused in the hallway, his eyes catching the seated figure huddled just inside of a broom closet a few feet off, one hand over one ear to block out noise, the other holding a ophone up to his ear. He couldn't tell what Tsukasa was talking about, but he could easily guess and he hoped the conversation was going well.

Kisaki turned towards Tora's room, gzing briefly through the small window in the door. He could see Tora sitting on the edge of his bed, just outn of rach of the large wet spot, hands folded in his lap, his face serine except for the thin worry line between thin brows. Kisaki watched him a moment, then knocked and entered the room.

Tora looked up at him, his eyes taking a moment to come back into focus, but then he smiled and stood.

"Thank you, Kisaki-san." he said, taking the new gown and shrugged.

"If you want to go ahead and change, I'll try to do something about this wet bed of yours." Tora nodded and disapeared into the closet." He set to work, unfolding an refolding teh ew towels.

"Kisaki? Can you come here a minute?" The odler man appear infront of him and Tora grinned sheepishly. "Can you please tie the top strings? I can get the bottom just fne, but honestly, omno one's arms were made to bend like that! Tsukasa had to.. last time..."

Kisaki chuckled. "Sure, don't worry about it." Tora smiled and turned around, revealing his smooth, nearly flawless torso to him. Two thin strings fell loosly down each shoulder blade, just out of anyone's reach. His eyes drifted briefly down the prominant bones of Tora's spine until the disapeared behind the bottom tie, quite low on his back. He cleared his throat and quickly tied the laces together. Tora oicked up his robe, opulled it on over his shoulders and belted it around him.

"Thanks again."

Tsujasa appeared by Kisaki's side, a huge grin on his face, dark eyes dancing. "They've agreed to help!"

Tora eyed the other man, then Kisaki, confusion knitting his dark brow. "What are you talking about?"

"Your parents have agreed to keep paying for your medical bills," Tsukasa grabbed both of Tora's hands, "regardless of wether you stay here or not!"

Tora's eyes narrowed. "You called my parents?" he pulled his hands back. "Why? How did you get their number?"

Tsukasa's face seemed to fall slightly. "Now, don't get too mad, ok? I know all of this has put you in a bad place with them, but they are willing to forgive all that!"

"You really do nede them." Kisaki said quietly. "Aside tht they are your parents, if.. if you really only have a little time left on this earth., you shouldn't waste it arguing over something petty." He sighed. "All these tests are expensive, everything about your condition is expensive. The last thing you want to do it spend the rest of it fighting."

Tora regarded him with my on two eyes as the young man seemed to think it over. After a moment, he sighed and smiled slightly.

"You're right," he admitted "I'm sorry, just.. part of me is sick of having to drive me home every once in awhile."

Tsukasa smiled asn slipped past Hakuei, slipping hs arms around Kisaki, drawing Tora into his arms.

"Never think that you are a burden to anyone," he whispered, hugging the young man close. "We all love you and will do anything to keep you with us."

Tora smiled and closed his eyes, hugging the other man close.

---

The doctor knocked on the door once and walked inside the small, dark room. It was pitch black and quiet, the only light coming from the numerous computers humming around the room. He stopped just behind the only person in the room, sharp eyes sacanning the images on the moniyors.

"What do you think, Yura-sama?"

The other man did not respond for a moment, then slowly nodded his head.

"Are you sure?" He knelt beside the blonde man int eh swival chair. "I don't want to give them false hope if all we'de really be doning is-"

"No, no, I think there's a chance." The thinner man looked down at his collegue, a wide grin spreading across his face. "It's not a very good chance, and it would be very risky, but at least it's something."

Mana-sama nodded slowly, then took a deep breath. "Ok. I'll let them know."

---

"-so somehow Rose convinces this big-wig in the company to give them your father's office number-"

There was a knock on the door and the doctor walked in Tsukasa fell silent, his face shifting into such a drastic, solomn mask that Mana-sama paused in his tracks. He cleared his throat and walked towards the three men huddled on and around the drying hospital bed.

"I'm sorry this took longer than expected, but a collegue and I were going over the CT scans one more time to make sure we didn't overlook anything." the other men remained silent so he continued. "The bloodwork shows that, although you do not have any clots yet, there are several places we feel they could be forming very soon. We also believe.. that though the chance may be slight, we might be able to correct most of your ailments, at least the lifethreatening ones having to do with your brain."

Tora blinked several times before the doctor's words managed to sink in. "You mean... there might be a way..."

Mana-sama nodded his head. "It would be a very risky operation, half proven science, half experimental luck. We would have to actually open up your skull and try to repair a small portion of your brain. There are many things that could go wrong, and the immediate aftercare could be raught with complications. But if we suceed, it should cure your seizures and prevent any more bloodclots from forming."

The threee men exchanged astonished, disbelieving glances.

"What are.." Kisaki cleared his throat. "What are the odds of his survival and recover, should he choose to have the surgury?"

"There's only a 20% chance of the procedure actually working and Tora surviving all the side effects and complications."

"2o%?" Tsukasa murmered. "That's it?" He turned to Tora, eyes full of fear. "Maybe this was a bad idea. That's an 80% chance that you'll.. you'll..."

"That I'll what?" Tora looked at his lover sadly, then turned to the doctor. "Mana-sama, tell me the odds if I don't take the surgury."

"99% fatal." Mana stated with out hesitation. "I can only think of one documented case where something like this cured itself on it's own, and no one was even sure how he became this ill in the first place. His symptoms disapeared just as mysteriously as they started."

Tora nodded his head, seemingly lost in though for severallong moments. "What... what is your opinion, sir, personally. Do you honestly think you can help me? Or should I not even bother? Do you think.. I might have a chance?"

Mana stared down at him a moment, then slowly nodded his head, his expression not changing a bit.n Kisaki turned his head towards the younger man, his face a mirror image of his older brother's.

"It's your decision," he said softly. "You can either live out what time you have left here, with your friends, with those who love you, knowing with almost certainty that any moment could be your last. Or," the corners of his eyes and mouth tightened sl;ightly, "you can take a rask. A big risk. Let the doctors try to free you from this prison, this fate Maybe the procedure won't help and you....," he paused. "But then again, maybe you won't. Then, you can have a chance at a normal life, a real life, with all the sorrows and joys that go along with it."

Tora stared at the other man, his face reflecting an emotion the other could not readily read, for several long moments. Finally, he took a deep breath and nodded his head.

"Ok. Let's do it."