Hey everyone! I know it's been a long time since I've written anything, but I suddenly had a great idea for a story and knew I had to write it down! I'll warn readers now that this story will be tragic, if you're a cry baby like I am, you might not enjoy it so much. Also, before I get reviews saying how OOC this is, I wanted to have a more serious tone to it than the way the story was originally written. It may take me longer than usual to post the chapters, but the more reviews I get, the more excited I get to post! *hint, hint*. P.S, I'm terrible at intro's. Enjoy!

It Lasts a Lifetime

Intro

It was almost four in the afternoon when Hatori began to put his medical instruments back in his bag. He leaned his hands against the wood table and closed his eyes; part of him felt like a failure. He had been in the darkened room for several hours now, only to confirm what nobody wanted to hear. He tried to focus on the feel of the table as he opened his eyes slightly. He ran his fingers gently down the wood until his arms hung at his sides. He zipped up his bag and stood tall once more; regaining his composure. He picked up his bag and turned to the fallen faces of the others. He was glad it was dim in the room so he wasn't able to make out there faces completely.

The blinds had been closed to block out the sun for the comfort of the young man in the bed. He lay still in his silent slumber while the others hovered around the end of his bed. He seemed oblivious as to what was happening around him. There was a thickness in the room that no one could shake as Shigure and Kyou stared at Hatori. Hatori looked around the neat room and noticed just how organized the young man really was.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Shigure asked calmly as he glanced at the bed rail to divert his eyes.

Hatori kicked himself mentally as he took a deep breath. "We all knew this was coming, I've kept you well informed."

"That's bullshit." Grumbled Kyou from the end of the bed. He squeezed the bedrail tightly in his palm and he grind his teeth together. "There has to be something we can give him, something to make him better."

"He won't get any better now, Kyou." Hatori said blankly as he made a motion for the door.

Kyou rushed at Hatori and grabbed his collar. "Don't you give up on him." He said through clenched teeth. "Don't you dare."

Hatori stared at Kyou until Kyou finally gave up, let go of Hatori's jacket, and walked passed him to the window. He brushed himself off and went to the door; he slid it open and turned back. "Shigure." He called softly.

"Hmm?" Shigure hummed without looking away from the young boys face.

"Maybe you should take some vacationing time," Hatori offered. "to spend some time with him, so he has some time to spend with you, too."

"Yeah." Hatori said in a daze. "Yeah that sounds like a good idea."

Hatori frowned as he watched his friend stand in comatose looking over the bed. "Things will only get worse from here Shigure, it would be best if you kept your head. He'll need you all when he wakes."

Kyou pulled the blind apart slightly to look outside at the beaming sun; streaks of daylight sparked throughout the room. He saw a young girl bobbing delightfully down the dirt path to the house. "She's home." He said and pulled away from the window, once again turning the bedroom into a dreary place.

"I'll visit again tomorrow and you can tell me your plans." Without saying another word he closed the bedroom door behind him.

Kyou stood silently at the window for a moment looking at the boy in the bed. His eyes then trailed to Shigure's face. "Do you want me to keep her occupied?"

"Just tell her he's sick."

Kyou sighed as he walked behind Shigure towards the door. "That's not fair."

Shigure laughed a little. "Its odd that you would say that about a little fib, in this situation."

Kyou opened the door and turned back to him. "Shigure…"

"None of this is fair." He laughed to himself and gripped the bedrail tighter. "Tell her he's sick, Kyou."

Kyou looked at the floor for a moment before he closed the door silently as he went downstairs. The room was filled with nothing but the boy, and Shigure. A light breeze blew through the open window and let a ray of sunlight slide across the floor and up the side of the bed. It was just long enough to reach the pale boys face for a moment before it was dragged from the room by the backlash of the breeze. The room seemed silent although the silence was being denied by the persistent chirps and hums from the forest just beyond the walls.

The pale boy squinted as the light hit his eyelids. He turned his head away and opened his eyes. Shigure felt his heart stop as he watched the boy's eyes meet his own. "You're awake?" Shigure asked. The pale boy nodded slowly and Shigure smiled lightly. His smile faded fast as he opened his mouth to say the few words he never wanted to say. "What do you want me to tell her?"

The boy looked towards the ceiling and inhaled steeply. "Tell her, I'm sick."

Shigure frowned. "That doesn't seem fair."

The boy smiled at him as he closed his eyes. "It's odd that you would say that about a little fib, in this situation."

Shigure smiled. "You were awake, you heard it all."

"The whole thing." As the boy smiled happily, shrouded by darkness from the closed windows, a tear appeared from the bottom of one of his closed eyes. The tear rolled down his cheek, and died against his pillow.

Shigure loosened his grip on the bedrail and stood up tall, scratching his head. "So just, tell her you're sick." He said aloud.

"I'm just going through another weak spell, she'll never know the difference."

Shigure gave in. "Alright. I'll tell her."

There was an awkward silence spreading between the two of them. Shigure looked around the boy's room and smiled. From the books alphabetically sorted, to the folded laundry in his drawers – color coordinated; the kid was organized. Shigure looked at the light on the floor.

"I remember when you first moved into this room." He said easily. "You were so confident towards me, but I can remember hearing you cry at night. You spent most of the time in here reading and studying, never once asking me for anything." He laughed. "You were always so organized. Once you began coming out of your room more, you began helping me maintain the house. You were the one going through so much, yet you were the one helping me." He smiled sadly he looked at the covered window. "What am I going to do now?" He looked at his hands which lay at his sides. "Once again you're the one going through so much, and I'm here asking for advice."

The boy sighed and opened his eyes to the ceiling. "There will be less arguing."

"He cares."

"I know."

Once again an awkward silence spread between them and Shigure walked slowly to the door. He placed his hand on the doorknob but didn't turn it. He looked at the boy, "You're just sick, eh."

"I'll tell her in my own time." Said the boy without looking at Shigure.

Shigure nodded to himself. "Alright." He turned the doorknob and opened the door, but before he walked out of the room he turned around once again. "Tell her soon."

"I just told you I would."

"Not that." Said Shigure. The boy turned his head from Shigure. "You know what I'm talking about."

"Stop."

"Don't have any regrets."

The boys voice rose slightly; urgently. "Enough!"

Shigure sighed and walked through the doorway. "I just hope you tell her you love her, before you tell her goodbye." Shigure shut the door, leaving the boy to hear his footsteps fade.

The pale boy lay in his bed unmoving. He stared at the pale colors on his ceiling and thought about her. He loved her in a way he thought was impossible, but he had always been too shy to confront the issue. He was happy just to have her in his life, and that had always been enough. He always felt detached from people, always seen people as nothing more than names to remember. For once, he felt as though there were another person who was as nameless as he was; and it seemed as though fate had cut there time together short. Rivalry between himself and Kyou was always fierce when it came to her, but he had always been happy just being with her. The question now was, should he keep fighting for her affection? Should he keep trying to reach for her when he will never be able to hold on? Should he really steal that wish away from Kyou now?

He'd always loved her, always dreamt and always wished for her; but should he keep living for a dying wish? Should he keep wishing with a dying life? The question reflected in a fresh stream of tears caressing his pale cheek. Yuki continued to stare up at the ceiling as he was faced with the reality that his and Tohru's nameless existence might be labeled sooner than he thought.

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