I apologize for the long wait! I wanted to finish it all up in a long final chapter, but I needed a book my friend borrowed from me to finish it up. Also, I didn't get to writing it while I waited for the book, and that cost me time as well.
So I am SOOOOO sorry for the delay! I hope you enjoy the last chapter of Unmasked!
Onee-chan 1: no, seriously. He borrowed this book forever ago.
Chapter 10 - Giving Back
Kira didn't wake up until the next morning, but Athrun suspected that was Arik's doing. He didn't move much, except to snuggle up to Athrun, until the bacon and eggs were on plates at the table, waiting to be devoured.
"Morning," Athrun greeted, acting like nothing was wrong. "Did you sleep well?"
Kira smiled with a stretch before sitting down. He felt a tinge of anger, but not much, at the back of his mind. Kira shook his head. 'Oh stop it. It's just food,' he thought. This was becoming pathetic.
"Something wrong?" Athrun asked. In his mind, Athrun knew that it was probably Arik doing something. But then he felt a little bad for blaming every little thing on Kira's alter ego. "Oh, right!"
Kira looked up, a bite of egg in his mouth. Athrun held out his right hand and Kira frowned. Kira held his own right hand open, palm up, and let Athrun drop the daily dosage (two) of medication into his hand. He really didn't understand what these did for him. But he chugged them down with his glass of water anyway.
"Feel better?" Athrun asked a minute later, after two bites of food. Kira seemed startled. He thought about it, and decided, yes, he did feel better! There was no anger at the back of his mind. He smiled and Athrun followed suit. "Good."
-
The afternoon was spent mostly with the police. Athrun told them about how Mr. Anders usually acted around Kira - all smiles and compliments and happy. They searched his name and found no record of similar incidents. But later in the day, while Athrun and Kira were still there, they found out he'd gotten divorced recently and under his wife's last name, there were several previous incidents - all involving younger men.
Athrun was told that he and Kira might be needed at a later date, but that they would be contacted well in advanced if anything came up. So the couple went home, after Kira signed an autograph for a female cop who recognized him and admired him.
Athrun almost didn't let Kira take a shower by himself. He didn't want to let Kira out of his sight, worried about what might happen when he wasn't around. But then Lacus's words floated back into his mind and he backed off.
"Kira's here, all day every day. Arik must be upset about that. You and Kira alone all the time."
Kira asked, in his sign language, what was wrong, but Athrun denied any problems. Athrun knew Kira was worried about him. He knew he shouldn't be so overprotective or paranoid. But he also knew that Arik was capable of powerful things. He wanted to be there!
So he sat in the living room, as close to the bathroom as he could get, until Kira was done. Soon afterwards, they were laying down to sleep and Kira turned so that he was facing Athrun.
'I love you,' he mouthed. Athrun smiled.
'I know,' he mouthed back. 'I love you too.'
Kira smiled. Athrun was great. He could talk, but he kept himself on an even playing field with Kira. It made him happy and soon, Kira drifted off to sleep. Athrun smiled with a tint of sadness in it when Kira cuddled into him. He draped his left arm over Kira's right side before falling asleep himself.
-
Athrun's nose twitched the next morning. Something smelled delicious! He popped his eyes open, noticing that Kira wasn't next to him. He hurriedly got ready for the day and walked out into the kitchen. Kira stood there, making pancakes.
"Kira?" he asked. Kira jumped slightly and turned with a sheepish smile to Athrun. "What….? You're cooking." Kira had stopped cooking a while ago! It was around the same time when he started falling asleep randomly.
Kira started making signs with his arms. 'I felt rested, so I took a chance. Good morning!'
Athrun smiled happily and hugged Kira. "Good morning," he whispered into Kira's shoulder. After a moment, he pulled away and nodded to the pancakes already on a plate ready to be eaten. "They smell good."
Kira's eyebrows rose and he put two on a plate and gave them to Athrun. The blue haired male smiled with a little half-bow and went to get the syrup. A few moments later, Athrun sat at the table, cutting his first pancake, and Kira was putting four on a plate. Athrun was always amazed by the amount of food Kira could ingest.
Athrun took a bite. "Mmm…It's good," he grinned. "Looks like you haven't lost your touch, Sleepy-head." He chuckled and Kira frowned inwardly that he couldn't throw a piece of pancake at Athrun's head. He grinned on the outside, prepared to plan for later. Revenge was sweet.
-
As they got ready for bed, Athrun came to the stark realization that he hadn't told Kira they were going to the concert yet. He pulled on his night shirt and turned to face Kira. Kira was wearing blue pjs that were really comfortable and a tiny bit big on Kira's small frame. Athrun found it adorable. Kira was sitting in the bed, staring at his feet and twiddling his thumbs. He looked unhappy.
"Kira, I forgot to tell you…Lacus came by yesterday," he said. Kira looked up in surprise as Athrun sat on the bed next to him. "She's invited us to her concert tomorrow."
Kira gave Athrun a confused look. He went to motion with his hands, but Athrun stopped him. He shook his head.
"I know," he said. "I think she likes having us there. I think we make her feel stronger somehow." He grinned. "Maybe because you've already been through so much, eh? You're the rock that's keeping her head above the water."
Kira smiled and Athrun felt lighter. Something was still off though. Kira was smiling, but he looked upset as well. No one else would notice it, but after a year of living together, Athrun saw the signs. His attention was caught by Kira's hands, which were making motions on the bed. He grinned.
"I've got an idea I'm sure you'll love," he said as if teasing. Kira took the bait. "When we get back from the concert, how about we finish that book. I know you wanna know what happens to Peter."
Kira jumped and hugged Athrun tightly, knocking them both back onto the bed. Athrun laughed.
"I've been neglecting my responsibilities it seems," he joked. Kira laughed and Athrun's eyes widened. Kira was laying with his arms around Athrun's waist, his head laying on Athrun's chest and eyes closed, so he didn't see it. Athrun looked down at his boyfriend and wished he'd laugh again.
It'd been so long since he'd heard Kira's voice. He hadn't known how much he missed it. Athrun felt tears welling up in his eyes and forced them back.
"I love you," he whispered.
-
Kira nearly ran to the car and waited for Athrun to unlock the doors. He sat down in his seat and stared out the window as the car started up. Soon after, they were on the road and headed through town to the amphitheater where Lacus was singing tonight. Kira smiled at Athrun, then frowned out the window.
'You didn't take your pills today,' Arik's voice whispered in his mind. Kira frowned.
'Please don't do anything. We're going to help Lacus out, I don't want anything to go wrong,' he pleaded. Silence greeted him for a minute, and then Arik spoke again.
'I'm not trying anything right now. I haven't been trying anything for almost three days now,' he said.
Kira kept staring out the window, wondering what Arik meant by that. He breathed out heavily and a light bulb clicked on in his head. His voice!
"Athrun...," he whispered under his breath. Athrun didn't hear him, but he'd said it. He'd said Athrun's name and felt no anger. Actually, he felt sadness. Kira frowned. "A-"
Kira stopped. That noise. A screech of rubber on asphalt, a car horn: he could hear little things even though he couldn't see them. Danger!
"Athrun." Kira's voice was clear, and loud enough to be considered above normal. Athrun turned from looking around the area to Kira. Kira looked frightened. A black truck flipped into view on Athrun's left, came bolting down the perpendicular road towards them. Kira's eyes widened, but Athrun was looking at Kira instead. "Athrun!"
He pointed and Athrun turned to look as Kira unbuckled his seatbelt. He pushed himself out of his seat and over Athrun. Athrun's eyes flicked to Kira, Kira wrapped his arms around Athrun protectively, and then it hit them. The driver's side was smashed in, Athrun's seatbelt broke. The car went flipping across the intersection, other cars skidding to a stop to avoid getting hit. They hit a light pole, denting the top of the car in, and the car landed right side up again.
Inside, Kira was still holding Athrun, but in a different position that he was before. His right hand was holding Athrun's shirt, just above the heart. Kira was on top of Athrun, both of them now mostly in Kira's seat and partly in the middle of the car. Blood was slowly soaking the green shirt Athrun had chosen to wear. Kira's hand loosened it's grip and went slack.
-
"Why would you do that?"
Everything was so dark. He couldn't even open his eyes.
"I don't understand you. Not at all."
He felt as if he were floating through space. There was nothing beneath him, nothing above him; just the voice existed.
"Do you really love him that much?"
He heard the sound of a the first rain drop falling into a pond. Tears.
"I'm sorry, Kira."
It all went silent.
-
Emerald green eyes shot open and Athrun sat up like lightening. He looked down at himself, seeing a white t-shirt instead of the green one he'd put on this afternoon. He looked around the room, noting the bland white walls, furniture, and ceiling. The hospital.
Athrun found his clothes on a table across the room. The black jacket he'd been wearing over his green shirt was missing a sleeve, but otherwise they seemed fine. Why had his clothes been changed?…..
Where was Kira? What happened?
Just then, a nurse walked in and saw him. She smiled. "Oh, you're awake!" she said cheerfully. Athrun nodded. "We were worried about you, but you were fine except for a few scrapes….It was odd actually, with all the blood on your clothes."
"Blood?" Athrun asked. He looked down at himself, seeing an everyday bandaid on his right elbow, and one on his left shoulder - where the sleeve was severed.
The nurse shook her head. "Not yours," she said softly, sadly. "Your friend's."
Athrun's mind jumped as if shocked, and he ripped the covers away to stand up. Once out of the bed, Athrun hurried over to the nurse, who was still by the door.
"If I'm not injured, take me to him. Take me to Kira," he ordered. The look on his face and the tone of his voice was probably why she didn't argue.
-
"We got the blood flow dammed for a bit, but I don't know how long it'll work," a doctor was saying when Athrun got to the surgery room. There was a large window in the wall, and microphones in the room - probably cameras too. He could hear everything without ever going inside. What he heard, and what he saw, made him feel sick.
Kira was on the operating table, surrounded by doctors. They hid the brunette mostly from view, but everything was covered in blood. Athrun knew was Kira's. He put his right hand over his mouth and his left across his stomach. Why….?
"Why?" he said aloud, and the nurse who brought him looked at him. "Why am I unharmed, and he's like this?…." Athrun felt like he was going to cry. The tears were building behind his eyes, and it showed in his voice. "We were both in the car….I was right there…..Why is he…?" Athrun couldn't finish.
"The way you were found in the car….," the nurse said softly, "…It looked like he was protecting you. I'm not sure how, but he managed to save your life." She smiled sadly at Athrun. "But he…." She trailed off and looked at the ground.
"We need to numb him, but if he falls asleep, he'll surely die." Athrun heard the echo-y voices from the other side of the glass and felt himself shatter.
Kira was conscious? He was conscious and enduring this? How?
"Just do it."
Athrun took a step to the left and peeked around the doctor's shoulders. They all seemed shocked as well. The voice that had spoken came from Kira's mouth, but it didn't seem affected by the wounds. It was crisp, clear, deep, and Athrun knew that voice.
"Arik," he breathed out. His eyes widened.
Arik couldn't feel any pain. That's why Kira was 'conscious.' Arik wouldn't let Kira die, so he wouldn't let Kira's body fall asleep during the surgery. Arik would endure it, because he couldn't feel it. Athrun slid to the ground, now barely tall enough to see through the glass. Kira was going to live. He was sure of it.
Athrun looked through the glass, and saw Arik's right eye looking back at him. Athrun felt a shiver run through him, and for a moment he thought it was fear. Arik turned his head to look fully at Athrun. Arik's mouth moved, and Athrun read his lips.
'I'll give him back…..I finally had to accept that. He was willing to sacrifice himself for you, and I know he'd never do the same for me…..But I don't know……,' he paused for a moment, and Athrun titled his head while he waited. He was used to reading lips, and was very good at it. 'I love him, but he loves you more…..I'm sorry.'
Arik turned his head back to the ceiling. He closed his eyes slowly and took a deep breath. Tears slipped from under his eyelids and slid back across his face and onto the table beneath him. His hair was flashing between dark brown and chocolate brown - back and forth and back and forth. Athrun's eyes widened.
Arik was….Arik was….
…dying…
-
Athrun walked up to the door he was told would let him in to see Kira. It was a one bed room, unlike the one Athrun had woken up in. Athrun lifted his right hand, let it hover over the handle for a moment, then set it on the cool metal and turned it silently. The door slid open without a sound and Athrun closed it just as quietly. He stayed by the door as he looked at Kira in the dark.
He was mostly covered by the thin sheets of the hospital bed, but Athrun knew that under that was a body completely wrapped in several layers of bandages. Kira's right leg was strung up in a cast, as was his left arm from the elbow down to his fingers. Athrun knew he had stitches in his left thigh and a neck brace. They said he almost snapped his neck. There was an oxygen mask over his mouth and several Ivs in each arm. Athrun walked over and ran his hand over the bandages, over Kira's head.
A head injury. Was that why Arik 'died,' or was it something else? Athrun didn't think a head injury would rid Kira of Arik. Athrun sat in a chair next to Kira's bed. He put his arms on the bedside and rested his chin on them.
"Arik….saved your life," he said softly. Athrun stared at Kira for a while before talking again. "He was like a little kid. He didn't know how to share, or react to his emotions. I think he did, in fact, love you. But I don't think he understood that entirely."
Kira didn't move. The only indicators that he hadn't died were the rise and fall of his chest and the fog of the oxygen mask. Athrun sighed with a smile.
"That was a really stupid move back there," he said lightly. "But I'm glad you're alright. And I promise, everything'll be okay. You hear me, Kira?"
Athrun resituated his chin on only his left arm and used his right to mess with Kira's bangs. The brunette eighteen year old smiled and Athrun stopped what he was doing in shock. Kira's face fell back to neutral. Athrun smiled.
"God I love you," he breathed out in a whisper. Kira didn't respond.
-
Five Weeks Later
Athrun knocked on the door to Kira's hospital room a moment before opening it. Kira's bed was up in a sitting position at the moment, the remains of breakfast on the panel of wood in front of Kira. The brunette smiled when he saw Athrun come in. Athrun smiled too.
He had come every day to see Kira, and stayed as long as he could before leaving. Kira slept for three days after the surgery, but Athrun would bet that it was because Arik was no longer there with him. The first thing Kira did when he woke up was ask if Athrun was alright. He bugged the nurses so much that they called Athrun and had him come in before visiting hours to calm him down.
Now, Kira's leg was almost fully healed, the cast was gone and replaced by bandages. His arm was in a similar state. The rest of his body was so healed that Athrun couldn't tell the difference between the car accident scars and the circus scars. He wasn't sure if it was normal to heal this fast, but it HAD been five weeks, so he supposed it shouldn't come as a surprise.
Kira was in physical therapy now for his injured limbs. The doctors said that his previous scars were making it difficult for Kira to get movement back in his leg and arm, so physical therapy would be necessary to fix him up as good as new. They also said Kira would be able to leave the hospital soon. There was no specific date, but soon was good enough for now.
"Hey," Athrun greeted, sitting in the chair next to Kira's bed. Kira smiled at him.
"Hey," he said softly. Athrun still melted when he heard that voice. Kira's voice. He hadn't known how much he missed it during the episode with Arik, but he was sooo glad to have it back. "What's that?"
Kira pointed to the book in Athrun's right hand. The blue haired teen looked surprised for a moment, then smiled and brought the book up for Kira to see. Kira's eyes lit up. "Oh this? I just thought maybe Peter was getting lonely."
"Athrun," Kira laughed lightly with a bright smile. That was it. That was all Athrun needed to feel that he had made the world a bit brighter - to feel better.
"So, where were we?" Athrun asked, flipping through the pages. "Oh, we're almost done," he announced in a surprised voice. "Don't worry," Athrun assured Kira with a ruffle of his brown hair. "I'm sure there'll be another one. Until then we can reread these two."
Kira let out a dramatic sigh. He sunk into his pillows and stared at the ceiling for a moment, as if no longer interested in the book. Athrun looked put out and Kira giggled at the expression. Athrun took the book and whacked Kira lightly on the right shoulder.
"Anyway," Athrun said as if it finished the matter, then opened up to their page again. "Ahem. Let's see, the Lost Boys were escaping from Hook's fortress, right?" Kira nodded. "Alright...Ahem, 'They're escaping!' shouted the pirate. 'The boys is loose!'
'Pull!' shouted James, and with a desperate heave, they yanked Tubby Ted out of the cage. The four of them tumbled to the dirt as pirates began to spill out of the hut. 'Run!' shouted James, and the boys sprinted toward the unguarded gate.
'GET THEM!' roared Hook, stumbling from his private hut, still in his nightshirt, sword in hand. 'GET THEM!'
James, keeping behind the other three boys, glanced back over his shoulder. The pirates, led by Hook, were close behind; too close. With a sinking heart, James realized that even if he and his mates got through the gate, they would quickly be recaptured outside. Then he looked forward, and yelled in surprise.
The gates were closing.
One gate, in fact, had just bumped shut. As Prentiss and Thomas darted through the opening, the other half of the gate moved, also closing. James couldn't see who was doing it, but clearly, somebody was pulling the gate shut from the outside. Tubby Ted barely squeezed through the closing gap. Would there be room for James?
'Hurry up, James!' shouted a voice…a voice James knew well. With a furious last burst of speed, James lunged through the opening just as the second gate slammed shut."
Kira gave a little cheer and Athrun's smile broadened. He read until the end of the book and showed Kira the picture at the back. It was of Captain Hook with a smashed mango on his head. Kira chuckled and managed to just reach Athrun enough to give him a light peck on the cheek.
"I love you," he breathed out, and appeared to be trying to hide in his sheets. Athrun smiled.
"I love you too," he responded, and kissed Kira on the forehead - where the bandages used to be.
Sorry to end it there. I wanted to keep writing about the book, but I thought 1) you might not care since it isn't about Kira or Athrun and 2) I didn't want to spoil the ending. In case you want to know, the book is Peter and the Shadow Thieves, I think I mentioned it earlier too.
Anyway, I hope you liked the final chapter. I apologize for it's lateness. I'm being perfectly serious when I say I saw how long it had been and it hurt. I'm serious. I felt PAIN at seeing when I last posted! That's serious!
So, please review! Tell me if you liked it, hated it, whatever. Thank you for being so patient with me!