Yuu easily complied with Mika's request to drive his own car. He stayed silent as they walked to the parking lot and as they got inside the car, keeping his eyes glued to his phone, occasionally messaging someone on it and dropping it in his lap. Mika could only wonder what sort of circumstances had changed Yuu's demeanor, but he had a feeling it had to deal with some of the personal issues that the ravenette had mentioned the other night.

I wish he would tell me what's going on so I wouldn't have to worry so much about him.

The only time Yuu spoke was after he buckled himself into his seat, mumbling for Mika to follow the main road out of town. He gave a weak, half-hearted gesture as to which way to go before sitting back in the seat. He softly sighed, his emerald eyes either gazing out the window or checking his phone.

Mika followed the instructions out, pursing his lips as he side glanced at his passenger, noting how tired and worried Yuu's eyes appeared in the window's reflection. He was tempted to ask Yuu where they were going and what had happened, but he had a feeling that his partner wouldn't answer. And if Yuu really didn't want to talk about things yet, then Mika wouldn't push him.

So, until Yuu was ready to talk, Mika turned up the volume of the radio and drove. His cerulean orbs tried their best to focus solely on the road, but the blond couldn't help but cast concerned side-glances at the other. Yuu didn't seem to notice this, though, too lost in his thoughts.

When Yuu finally did speak, it was only to tell Mika which lane to move into, where to turn, and, finally, where to park, once a large, ten story building came into view. Long structures were attached to the building, and Mika could see a large, fenced off park area filled with people of all ages, some playing on park equipment, some admiring the flowers along the perimeter of the fence, and others strolling through in a wheelchair. Mika didn't have to wait for the sign to know that their destination was the hospital.

Mika pulled into a hospital parking lot, his eyebrows furrowed as he peered over at the ever silent Yuu. If someone Yuu was close to had been hospitalized, it explained the change in him.

Mika was quick to find a spot, and before he even shut off the car, Yuu had already unbuckled and was opening the car door.

"Wait for me, Yuu," Mika said, shutting off the engine.

Yuu shook his head. "No, Mika, stay here." His voice was sharp and firm, giving Mika the feeling that this was nonnegotiable.

Mika unbuckled himself before turning his head toward Yuu, who stood against the car door, ready to close it. "Are you sure? I don't mind going with you."

"No, it'll be better if you wait out here." His voice grew softer, his face somber as he shut the door and made his way into the hospital.

Mika sighed and sat back in his seat, wishing Yuu would have let him tag along. If he hadn't been so worried he'd push Yuu away, he would have stubbornly emerged from the car and followed him inside. But, if Yuu wanted privacy, then Mika would give it to him.

In the meantime, Mika pulled out his phone to play a game to pass the time. After about an hour passed without any sign of Yuu, Mika pocketed his phone, trying to conserve what little of his battery he had left. He eyed the hospital doors, debating if he should go in and check on Yuu or not. He decided against it, not wanting to risk Yuu getting upset with him.

He drummed his fingers along the steering wheel, feeling bored. If he'd had known he'd be sitting in a car for a long time, he would've brought a book or homework. He debated going into the hospital gift shop to buy a book or magazine, but decided not to in the event that Yuu came back soon.

Another hour passed and Mika felt bored out of his mind. He'd turned on the car radio to listen to music for a while, but he didn't want to use up Yuu's gas or electricity, so he shut it off after a while. He'd tried and failed to sneak in a nap then, unable to focus since his thoughts were preoccupied with concern about how Yuu was feeling, what he was doing, who he was visiting.

Mika groaned aloud, banging his head along the back of his chair. If Yuu didn't come out soon, he was going to have to march inside the hospital and find something to do before he went insane.

Thankfully, only a few more minutes passed before the ravenette emerged from the hotel doors, ambling toward the car. He opened the passenger seat and slid inside without a word. Mika could see his black hair looked more disheveled than usual, and his arms bore a few scratch marks, with red splotches in the form of a hand on his wrists.

"How'd it go?" Mika asked, realizing Yuu wasn't going to say anything unless he spoke first.

Yuu merely shrugged, resting his cheek in his palm and gazing out the window. "Fine. We can go home. I'll direct you out."

Normally, Mika would have passed off Yuu's behavior and drove, figuring that his succinct manner was due to his visit to the hospital just now, but he couldn't let those cuts and marks pass. "Yuu, did something happen in there?"

Yuu's body grew rigid, his tone taut, though he didn't turn to Mika. "I said it's fine, didn't I?"

"Just because you say it's fine, doesn't mean it actually is."

A frustrated huff left Yuu. "Just drive. Please. I want to go home."

Mike turned on the engine at the slight plea in his voice, though he knew if he left the topic go undiscussed, Yuu would drop it. While Mika didn't want to push Yuu away, he did need some answers from him, if only to make sure Yuu was truly fine. So, he silently pulled out of the hospital lot and turned onto the main road. When his eyes caught sight of a certain sign, he took an unexpected turn, causing Yuu to turn to him with furrowed brows.

"This isn't the way home. This is to a nature preserve."

Mika shrugged, keeping his eyes on the winding road before them. "I know. It's exactly what I want."

Yuu glared, his jaw tightening. "This isn't funny. I'm really not in the mood for one of your pranks, Mika."

"It isn't a prank." Mika made a turn finally seeing a parking lot. "I just want to make a stop and talk."

Yuu was almost hesitant in speaking his next words. "Talk about what?"

Mika found a parking spot and shut off the engine before swiveling toward Yuu. "I want to talk about you."

"Well, I don't." Yuu crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "Great conversation, can we go home now?"

"No," Mika said firmly. He needed to communicate how he felt to Yuu, hoping that would convince him to open up . "Not until you tell me something. I don't want you to feel attacked, and I know I can come off as a jerk who likes messing with people, but I'm just concerned." He sighed, his shoulders deflating as his voice softened. "You don't have to disclose everything to me, but please, just tell me something. I drove you here and watched you despondently give me directions. And then you enter the hospital and come back out with injuries. Can you blame me for wanting to know what's going on and if you're okay?"

Yuu grew quiet for a moment, his eyes dropping to his lap, his posture slumping into the seat. "My sister was in the hospital. She has aneuromuscular disorder that sometimes lands her in the hospital when she can't breathe. I'll spare you the details, but sometimes certain muscles fail her. It sucks."

Mika's heart sank upon hearing the news, understanding why Yuu had seemed so torn up about it on the drive. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"I'm kind of used to the constant worry of it by this point, but thanks. And if you're worried about the scratches, eventually the nurses escorted me out and I bumped into a wall and into a few other things once I left." He feigned a smile and a laugh. "I'm a bit clumsy, what can I say?"

Mika's eyes fell onto Yuu's arm, seeing a few small, irritated marks that looked like they could be caused by fingernails, rather than a wall. Some of the red hand-looking splotches were beginning to fade, but Mika still knew that unless the nurses had forcefully dragged Yuu out, there was something deeper to it. And though Mika didn't want to assume, he knew some of the hints that were there.

"You're lying to me." Mika kept his voice soft, trying not to sound accusatory. "You're being abused, aren't you?"

Yuu went ridged, the lines of his face hardening. "No, of course not. I told you-"

"The black eye…that personal crap you mentioned…that's it, isn't it?"

Yuu didn't respond; he merely fixed his gaze out the window, his jaw clenched.

"You know I won't judge you for it, right? I was abused too, when I was little. I'm sure you don't know, but I was raised in an orphanage from when I was seven years old until now. It was a long time ago, but I still remember the rage on my parents' faces, I still remember the fear that filled me every time I saw them, I still remember how much it hurt, physically and emotionally. So, I understand."

Yuu stayed still, silent as seconds ticked by. As the silence dragged on, Mika didn't think Yuu was going to speak, but just when Mika was about to say something else, the raventte spoke, his voice low.

"You're right."

A small part of Mika had hoped that his guess had been wrong. He'd been hoping that Yuu would offer him some alternate explanation.

"Yuu, I'm so sorry."

He shrugged. "Don't be. I kind of bring it upon myself."

Mika straightened, shaking his head. His eyes were wide with alarm at the words, his heart sinking. "No, listen to me. It is not your fault that you're-"

"No, I mean… You know how I told you about my sister?" Yuu twiddled with his thumbs, eyes focused on the hands in his lap. "Well, I kind of take the abuse so that my mom doesn't turn it on my sister… She doesn't always do it, just if she's angry or frustrated and one of us is around. I hadn't realized she hit my sister until I saw it for myself, so then I tried to make myself look terrible in her eyes. I figured then she would see my sister as the saint and would think of me as her punching bag."

Mika's expression saddened at the words. Yuu shouldn't have to experience something like that, he shouldn't have had to put all that pain and responsibility on himself.

"Did you ever tell anyone?"

Yuu's voice grew bitter, and he spat out the words like venom. "I did. And they told me I deserved it and brought it upon myself." His shoulders slumped, and Yuu brought his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs. "Then I was scared what would happen if I reported and it didn't work, then my mom would probably try to kill me, or take it out on Serena. And if I did report it, I wondered what would happen to my sister on the chance she was taken from the home or if my mom was put into jail. We don't have close family that would take her, my dad is sick, too, and couldn't take care of her. I doubt they would let me take care of her… At least with my mom she has shelter and food." He shrugged. "So, I stopped trying to tell anyone."

Mika's heart broke at the words. Yuu had thought so hard about this and he seemed so helpless and hopeless. There had to be something he could do to help, he couldn't leave Yuu alone in this, not after all that he had heard.

"She can come to the orphanage," Mika suggested, spouting the first thing that came to mind. "The director is a wonderful lady, and all the kids there are amazing. It could work!"

Yuu looked over at him, his eyes looking like they wanted to hope but were too afraid to.

"I appreciate the offer, but I can't impose on you guys. My sister is too sick, I can't ask your orphanage to provide medical care for her."

Mika shook his head, refusing to let Yuu give up on this when they had a plan that could work. "We can cover it, I promise. Here, why don't you come with me to visit? We could spend the night there, you could see the place, get a feel for it, talk with the Director, and then decide. How does that sound? And no, you wouldn't be a burden. The Director loves hosting."

Yuu chewed his lower lip. "I don't know…"

"You could think about it and give me an answer tonight. We could leave tomorrow at noon, spend the night there, and I could drive us back the next day."

Yuu sighed heavily. "I'll think about it."

That was enough for Mika. Relief flooded him and he smiled softly at his friend. "Okay, now, give me your phone."

"What? Why?"

Mika held out his hand. "Because I need to give you my number. That way, you can text me your answer."

"All right." Yuu dug his phone from his pocket and set it in Mika's hand. "Here."

Mika beamed, creating a contact for himself and inputting his number. "Beautiful. Now we can go home."

"Yuu, what happened?"

Yoichi's worried eyes settled on Yuu the moment he walked into their dorm. Yuu had made sure to text him an update about Serena's condition, but he was sure his scratches had caused some concern.

Yoichi sighed, shaking his head. "I take it your mom was at the hospital."

With a heavy exhale, Yuu nodded. "Yeah, she wasn't too happy."

"I can imagine. Is that where you've been the whole day? Did you do your class presentation?"

Yuu shook his head, cringing at the mention of the group project. He and Mika were in so much trouble…he was going to have to beg for mercy for another chance at it.

"I got the call right before the presentation so I left. Mika actually drove me to the hospital."

Yoichi raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Oh?"

Yuu closed the door and crossed the room to lie in his bed, physically and emotionally exhausted from the day. "I ended up telling him."

"That you like him?"

Yuu's cheeks heated pink as he shook his head. "No!" He threw a pillow at Yoichi, who gracefully caught it and tossed it back with a laugh. "I mean, I told him about my family. Jeez."

Yoichi shrugged, a half-grin on his lips. "Forgive me for wanting the juicy details."

"I'm being serious!"

Yoichi chuckled a little. "I know, I know. So, you told him about your sister and about your mom? What'd he say?"

"He said he wants to help me. He knows an orphanage that might be willing to take my sister if I decided to report my mom. He offered to take me there for a night tomorrow."

Yoichi's face brightened at his response, looking hopeful. "If they could take her, that would absolve your fears. I mean, I know your dad is sick, too, but I'm sure you could figure out something for him. Are you going to take him up on the offer?"

"I don't know." Yuu's voice was thoughtful and quiet. "It almost feels too good to be true, like I'll go tomorrow and find out it was just a prank."

"I think you should take him up on the offer. I know you're scared to hope, but I think this could be what you need. And the worst is that you go tomorrow and find the orphanage isn't what you wanted. Then you can figure out a game plan from there."

"I hate it when you're right." He sighed, casting a glance at his roommate. "You really think I should go?"

Yoichi firmly nodded. "Absolutely. It'd be dumb not to. Do it for Serena's sake."

Yuu dug his phone from his pocket and found Mika's number.

'Mika, it's Yuu. My answer is yes. Let's go tomorrow.'

A/N: Guess who's back after taking ten million years to update! OKAY I'M SORRY IT'S TAKE FOR FREAKING EVER. I'M TERRIBLE. I did say I wouldn't abandon it (even though it's been like a year and a half but oopsies I've had so much life and school stuff that it's been rough). I graduate in May, so I'm really going to try and finish this before then, but I'm also working on my own novel that I plan to finish before then, so we'll just see what happens! I also actually planned this story out finially so that should help too. It's been so long since I've written for Mika and Yuu, but I hope that you all still enjoy this even after all of this time! Thank you for your reviews and support, it really means a lot and it helps me stay determined to finish this story! As always, feel free to drop a review to let me know your thoughts!

TheCandyChild - You finally got to see what happens! I'm so sorry for the wait, but I hope you still enjoy it!

Sparklestar2002 - I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the rest! You'll find out about the school project two chapters from now!

- She hasn't gone berserk mode yet, so thankfully you don't have to worry about threating a fictional character for a while!

BitterArchfiend - Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

NotinREALITY - I'm glad you're liking the story! Thank you so much!

jaredhal0 - Thank you!

Arianna76 - I'm glad you love it! Apologies for the updating delay!

NekoRyuuKo - *moves out of the way of the flying table* I'M SO GLAD YOU LOVE IT! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!

ThatcrazyJalphfan - Aww thank you so much! I'm so glad you like it, and I'm glad I could finally give you an update!

Kigen Dawn - I will say, there is definitely more in store for Yuu!

525Clouds - Haha thank you! I'm happy to know you're enjoying it!