Star Driver

First Phase

By KarumA-chan

Set in the middle of the series, just a short story about something I was missing in the series.

Might add another with a different, sort of alike subject.

Maybe someone can use this for their own spin off, I wouldn't mind.

Zero time. A dimension without sense of time, people brought together even though they are away from each other. Wako, Sugata they were both here right now but he wasn't concerned about them. He had never lost a fight with Taubarn, was never going to either. He knew he could easily win but using Tauburn was taking its toll on him. After another battle he was back in his bedroom again, his hand covering his mouth as he coughed. Lowering it revealed dark stains running down the palm of his hand.

"Used too long again." He said to himself as he wearily pulled himself up from his chair, leaning heavy against his desk before swaying his way to a mirror. His face was pale, his eyes rather hollow and exhausted. He coughed again, nearly falling forward. He had to get some rest, he always got better after a night's sleep as long as Glittering Crux would leave him alone for a couple days he would be fine.

He wasn't sure if coming to school today was such a good idea. Fairly weak he kept on smiling and caring, it was just the way he was after all. He finally had a power to do some good, why stop using it especially when his friends depended on him. Wako was having a pick nick afterward by the beach with him and Sugata, as part of a celebration to their last test results. Studying was now over, a new semester was about to begin.

"Are you sure you don't want more, Takuto?" "No I'm good, Sugata" The two eyed him strangely, lips pouting Wako called his behaviour straight, it wasn't right for him to eat so little.

"Do you get sick easily, Takuto-kun?" "What kind of question is that?" She leaned in closer and looked him over scanning for any sign of nervousness. "You've been holding back all day." He could only laugh out of irony. "I'm no-" "Here you go!" Before he could even protest Wako had put two more portions on his already small plate. He looked at with distress. "It isn't right for a girl to eat more than a guy. You need to stay healthy after all!" He laughed, but it quickly turned into a cough again which shielded from them with his right hand. It was a bad cough. "Ooy, are you alright?" Sugata asked taking over the plate before it would be dropped or spilled.

Then the worst thing that could happen kicked in, when he lowered his hand he could see blood but everything else was lined gray. Zero time. This wasn't good, he hadn't fully recovered yet since the last battle. The environment changed to what was Zero time, Wako and Sugata both floating somewhere up in a bubble and he cursed inwardly at the blood he had coughed up.

The battle was rough, he was tried to keep up but using Taubarn so quickly after the last time was taking a toll on him. He was fighting Window Star again, she seemed rather unstoppable this time but he was still able to keep her at bay. His throat was burning, it was getting difficult to breathe but he was going to pull through. He was going to protect Waku and Sugata no matter what.

"Something seems wrong." Sugata mentioned while looking down on the battle, Wako eyed him strangely she hadn't noticed anything weird at all but taking a closer look she noticed. Takuto wasn't moving as quickly as he did before, he had fought Window Star before right, then why wasn't he winning?

"Come play more seriously, Galactic pretty boy!" She pushed him back hard, Taubarn sliding back and coming to a stop, he was about to raise his swords again when suddenly he felt something coming up. He dropped his blades, both of them vanishing and started to gag leaned forward. He didn't have to puke, it wasn't his stomach that was upset but from his mouth a small thin line of spit and blood was hanging down. Too long, this was taking too long.

"Pay attention!" 'Shit!' Red lasers came down on him, sending him airborne and crashing him down on the ground. He quickly turned over and coughed, more blood came out and he was getting woozy. This wasn't good, he had to finish this. With weary legs he got up, she was charging at him and he only had once chance to do this right. Using the last remainder of his strength he launched himself, his last stand was a success because he was holding Window Star's chamber in his hands afterward, her cybody again destroyed. This time for good he hoped. But this victory wasn't glorious, Window Star looked at him and could see the blood that was still on his chin. She looked rather amazed by the sight of it, perhaps because none of them had actually seen blood in Zero Time.

"That was a close one!" Wako sighed when they returned to their own dimension, stretching her arms. Takuto tried his best to stay conscious, he could see the ocean and the sky but his head seemed to be tilting the wrong way. Before he even noticed he had fallen over on his side, lying down felt good he was so tired.

"Takuto-kun?" "Takuto!" Wako hadn't seen anything yet, Sugata had flung himself over Takuto and was furiously shaking his shoulder. "Wako, call an ambulance!" As he looked at her she noticed blood on Takuto's face.

Wako forgot how long they had been sitting out in the hallway, Sugata came back to her with a warmed can of coffee to keep them awake. Takuto was taken in to the small clinic they had on the island, there was a larger hospital on the main land but for now this had to do. Sugata knew the doctor, he had been here many times as a child. A familiar face came out of one of the rooms, Sugata walked up to him right away, Wako following shortly.

"It doesn't look good, Sugata-kun?" "Yes?" "Can I talk to you for a moment?" The two of them walked further away. The door to Takuto's room was not entirely closed and Wako could see the bed end, her eyes full of worry.

"Takuto, doesn't live with his parents?" "No, he lives at the dorm." "Does he get into fights?" "Why do you ask that?" The doctor sighed and looked through the collected data. "His body is bruised not just outwardly but also on the inside. All his muscles have been under a lot of pressure it seems, his throat and lungs are irritated that's why there was blood, though there was more than I would usually expect. He was coughing?" "Yes, all day." "Has he been doing that before?" Sugata never took notice, but remembered a couple times when he caught Takuto coughing. "I'm not sure. I think I've seen him cough a couple times, but never blood." "He must have damaged his throat many times before, irritating the old wounds again, I can't explain why he would cough up so much blood otherwise."

Takuto remained in the hospital for observation that night, he didn't wake up. Wako returned to the shrine to continue her maiden duties but Sugata remained where he was. Tiger and Jaguar had brought him some things, he had told them about what happened and both decided to make a room ready for him to recover at the mansion. It was a good idea, while Takuto was still injured he could be an easy target for Glittering Crux.

It was somewhere in the afternoon that Takuto started waking up, red dull eyes opened blinking away the light of the afternoon. Sugata hadn't noticed at first, he was reading a book but when a hoarse voice tried to call out his name he turned and quickly urged Takuto to remain in bed and stay quiet.

He went to get the doctor, who did a check up on him. His voice was nearly gone, his body ached all over and he was still tired. Other than that Takuto was still being Takuto, still smiling as if nothing had happened and he was dismissed after Sugata convinced the doctor that he would be better off recovering at his mansion.

Sugata was given painkillers and a brown bottle with medicine for Takuto's throat. If he was still coughing blood after 2 days then he had to call. And so the two were stuck together again, Takuto stuck in a wheelchair while Sugata was ridding him over to his house.

"I bet this tastes awful..." Sugata was getting a bit annoyed, the entire trip Takuto had acted as if nothing had happened, even with his voice half gone and his throat hurting he was still trying to make jokes and talk about anything but himself. He stopped walking and Takuto looked back at him confused as to why they had stopped moving.

"Do you have any idea how worried we were?" Sugata wasn't usually one to get angry, the raise in vocals caught Takuto back. "Do you even know how worried Wako had been?" Takuto couldn't bear looking at him, he didn't want to think about it, he felt too ashamed to admit to it. "Even now you try and hide behind that smile of yours, the doctor asked me if I had noticed your coughing, now that I think about it I've only seen you do it after exiting Zero Time." Takuto's eyes narrowed. "What are you hiding Takuto?"

"I'm sorry..." He whispered, he didn't know how to tell it because he hadn't told them anything really. Both Wako and Sugata knew who he was but they hardly knew what really went on in his mind. "I'm... tired. Can we?" Disappointed Sugata decided to push forward again. The two went on their way again.

Wako had come by in the evening, glad to see that Takuto was alright and smiling again. She nearly hugged him but Sugata reminded her that it would be a bad idea. She left early after diner, it was just about time for Takuto's medicine. He had taken a glass of water with some painkillers and after that had emptied a small cup with medicine for his throat. He was right though the yellow looking syrup tasted awful.

Sugata was about to take the glass and leave Takuto to rest when Takuto started talking.

"Sorry for... worrying you and Wako. This happens every time..." "Every time you pilot Tauburn?" Takuto nodded, out of breath from saying such a long line. Sugata walked over to him when he started to cough again, giving him a pat on the back. With a soft smile he continued. "My first phase, allows me to protect the people I love, but at the expense of myself." Takuto leaned against him, slowly dozing off as the painkillers started to kick in. Sugata helped him lean back into the pillows, pulled up the covers and tugged him in before exiting the room.