I'm Sorry - Chapter 2

Kotetsu lay on his side, his eyes still attempting to adjust to the small dark cell he found himself in. All he could remember was the ambush - having the living daylights beaten out of him, then waking up locked up in some hole. His body still ached, and he made a mental checklist of what was broken, bruised - and possibly fractured.

Shifting onto his back, he heard a sickening crack and his body gave a loud involuntary gurgle of pain. Trying not to breath too deeply, he realised he had broken one of his fractured ribs.

Closing his eyes, he wished away the fuzzy blackness surrounding the edges of his vision. He tried to think of anything - or anyone to make his world stop spinning.

Izumo....

Yes... At least Izumo was not here in his place... He would have never forgiven himself if Izumo had wound up in his current predicament. He knew Izumo was not a push over, and was a talented as any other fighter, it was just that he felt Izumo was more the calculating kind and he the brawns. They were ying and yang so to speak - and this mission more suited for him than his companion.

Companion... Best friend... Could they have possibly been more? Kotetsu gave the darkness a wry grin. Perhaps... If his friend felt the same. "I guess..." he hissed, "I'll never know..."

Kotetsu's attention was quickly caught as he heard the cell door being unlocked. He dared to open an eye to see who or what was coming for him. In that instant he wished he hadn't as a foot made swift connection with his already damaged ribs. His growl of pain echoed in the small cell.

I'm sorry...

The next time Kotetsu heard the door open, he couldn't open his eyes to see who his attacker was. All he could do was lie there as he couldn't find the energy to move to defend himself. He was utterly helpless and vulnerable.

There was a pause before hurried footsteps approached him. He didn't brace himself for what he was sure was about to come - a foot - a fist.... However, when nothing came, he was sure that his life was over.

He hissed and flinched when a gentle soft hand touched his rough swollen face. A touch so foreign yet so familiar that it scared him. It retracted as quickly as it had come, followed by a voice full of mixed relief and disbelief. "Ko-Kotetsu!"

"Am... I.... dead?" Kotetsu ground out from clenched teeth. There was no immediate answer, just wetness falling in drops onto his face. "No." was the choked response. "I'm so sorry..." Kotetsu just snorted and tried his best to smile. In no time, the medic nins located Kotetsu and Izumo and began patching Kotetsu up enough to move him. Izumo insisted that he was the one to bring Kotetsu home, and all returned swiftly to the village.

On their return, Izumo kept a vigil over Kotetsu at the Hospital. He made sure his friend knew exactly what he meant to him - and that he was an idiot to boot. Kotetsu had grinned and had told Izumo that he felt the same way - and that he too thought Izumo was an idiot.

"Why am I an idiot?!" Izumo asked.

"Because you love me." Kotetsu smirked making Izumo laugh. "You have a point."

"So you love me?" Kotetsu smiled with a raised eyebrow. "Baka..." Izumo smirked planting a light kiss on Kotetsu's lips.

"I know- I'm sorry."