Do I have a treat for you! After another year… I finally have the promised epilogue finished! I'm so sorry if took so painfully long, school and life beckoned, and I honestly fell out of the fandom for a while. But I'm back, so here it is! Sorry about any mistakes, if I wait to proof read before posting it you might not ever see it. XD Thank you to everyone who reviewed, your words truly inspired me to get this done. Please enjoy the final installment.

In a small hospital room, located on the third floor in the intensive care unit, a solemn group of teenagers lingered- smothered and choked by the anxious silence creating a palpable pressure around them. Fingers twitched and feet tapped with anticipation while nostrils burned with the strong odor of antiseptic. The situation was far from comfortable, yet not one dared to leave the oppressive room for the unassuming sanctuary of the hallway. None could find the power to draw their eyes away from the small limp figure tucked into the white sheets of the hospital bed.

Occasionally an adult would drift into the room, doctors, nurse, several times Kaoru paid enough mind to offer his parents a brief nod of acknowledgment. They came and went like silent ghosts, saying nothing but throwing sympathetic glances at the young adults every so often.

Seconds passed like hours and minutes dragged into years as they sat restless, staring.

Then suddenly the spell was broken. As if an invisible wall had collapsed before them there was a collective migration towards the bed. Feet shuffled, breath caught and gasped, and shoulders pressed close fighting for the best place around the crowed mattress. Yet the most keyed noise of all, to which each ear was undoubtedly perked to hear, was a soft groan.

Finally after a series of personal eternities the anxious teenagers were graced with the fluttering of sleepy blue eyes. Kaoru was the first to react, and no one moved to compete with him as the Kurusu twin threw desperate arms around his groggy older brother. Natsuki claimed a pale unresisting hand and the rest contented themselves with simply proximity. All around the room worried frowns transformed into relieved smiles and only several pairs of eyes remained dry.

Syou's consciousness came into focus slowly as he opened his heavy eyelids. It took a moment for the blurry shapes around him to transition back into the forms of his friends and all he could do was heave a shaky sigh of pure unadulterated relief. A soft pressure pressed against his still drug numbed body and soon Kaoru's face was buried securely in the space between his neck and shoulder. Syou felt more than heard his brother's shivered sob and broken mutters of relief against his skin, causing it to prickle and the hair to stand on end. A tremor of his own passed through him as the fog surrounding his mind ebbed away and he finally began to realize that this wasn't just some wild, willfully optimistic, conjecturing of his fading connection to the world of the living.

To his left the blond felt someone take his hand, clutching in hard, bracing Syou and pulling him even further into the world of reality. Forcing his eyes to the source, the indolent boy's attention was captured by green eyes, glistening and dripping clear steady tears of unadulterated joy and relief. The smile that crossed Natsuki's lips when Syou met his eyes was of radiant bliss and Syou knew that death could not be so cruel as to show him all the happiness he would have missed had it claimed him.

"I knew you wouldn't leave me…" His best friend's whispered words caressed his senses, breaking through the sobs and sniffles filling the room like a light in the darkness. It had been much too long since he had last seen Natsuki so truly happy. Syou managed a weak smile and nod in his roommate direction before turning his attention back to the room at large.

The entire STARISH group was in attendance, including Haruka, who was clinging shakily to Ittoki's arm tears dribbling from her eyes but a soft smile on her lips. The other singers were crowded around his bed looking at him like he had just saved the entire planet from destruction rather than just woken up from a selfishly ignorant pain-free slumber. But he was beyond grateful for their unyielding support, and, he figured, he'd been through more than most people in his short life and he deserved to be selfish every now and then. Basking in the warmth of the friendship and love around him.

Eventually Kaoru reluctantly pulled away from his brother, almost obsessively attentive to the fresh surgical wounds just beyond the sterile gaze taped to the left size of Syou's chest. When the two pairs of matching blue eyes meet for the first time, Syou offered his brother a timid smile, fighting the waves of guilt and happiness mixing and churning in the back of his mind, emotions that his body was still of comprehending, sorting, and expressing at the moment.

"Hey everyone…" Syou tested his voice for the first time. It was weak and strained and he almost winced at the rawness. It took way too much force to produce such a pathetic little noise. It was almost as though someone cut open his chest and played with his organs before drugging him up enough to feel nothing. What a concept. Closing his eyes Syou pushed the grisly thoughts from his mind. He was alive now; death was no longer hovering over his bedside like some ghoulish childhood closet monster.

Reopening his eyes pleased faces greeted him; obviously they all had heard his soft words and were more than grateful for them, pitiful rasp and all. It as if hearing his voice had been the final pull to connect the abstract of himself back to his living body.

"Good to see you decided to join the world of the living after all," Ren drawled, tone teasing and lips pulled in his signature smirk.

And with that, for the first time in months, Syou allowed himself to truly believe that everything could return to normal. He probably wasn't done with surgeries, and sure he would be wearing a pacemaker for the rest of his life, but he had beaten the odds. His will to survive had bested all the negative statistics hovering over his head and in the future he had no doubts that he could do it again. As long as he has such a wonderful pool of support and something worth fighting for nothing could ever drag him down.

He had made it, he made it to tomorrow. As for the future, well, that wasn't something Syou was willing to give up so easily.

The next few weeks, Syou spent in the hospital under close observation from both the medical staff and his family. Although the blond had figured that the worst was over after he managed to open his eyes again following the surgery, apparently he wasn't in the clear just yet. His heart and body needed time to heal, yet his restless nature rebelled against the idea. At first he was too sedated to even attempt to move, but as soon as his pain medication regimen was lowered to a manageable dose Syou could hardly sit still.

It wasn't until two weeks later that the blond idol was allowed out of bed for more than a bathroom break, and another two weeks before he was able to go home. Kaoru and his parents took extra care in following the doctor's recommendations word for word. The worst part, however, was the painfully slow rehabilitation. For a while even brief bouts of activity left Syou breathless, and there was always someone hovering nearby to make sure that he rested at the slightest hint of a struggle. Natsuki even had the audacity to attempt to teach the shortest STARISH member some calming breathing techniques. Needless to say Syou dismissed the notion immediately, considering Natsuki was generally the polar opposite of anything soothing, just seeing the other boy's face caused Syou's recovering heart to patter irregularly. As much as he appreciated the thoughts and concern of his loved ones, his recovery was something only he could pace and perfect.

Still, when the fifth week rolled round and the singer was still unable to complete the song Haruka wrote for him without feeling winded, Syou felt a bit disheartened. Fortunately blond was as stubborn he had ever been; he would never quit trying. He was dedicated to the task of perfecting this song, his return song. Haruka's beautiful words captured his heart, and he knew this would be the best song he had ever performed. This was easily one of the most important tasks Syou had even set for himself. For it was more than a mere performance; this song was a thank you- to all of his friends and family, for their care and love; it was the undeniable proof that he had made it, he was alive.

"Syouuu-channn!" Natsuki wailed happily draping himself over the back of Syou's shoulders, as if they didn't just see each other an hour ago.

"Natsuki quit it, I'm trying to practice!" The shorted boy protested elbowing his roommate in an attempt to escape. His struggle was halfhearted, and something not so deep in his consciousness was quite content at the contact.

"I'm just so happy! This is the first time you've been back to practice! It was so lonely without you. Now when I turn around I get to see my cute Syou-chan here with us again. You're finally here… While Natsuki's outburst started out high-strung and exuberant, by the end his voice had softened as if the truth of the words were just hitting him for the first time as well.

Syou's cheeks colored lightly at the use of the possessive pronoun Natsuki had slipped into his little speech. A flawlessly manicured hand came up to rest on a mound of fluffy golden hair when he heard a soft sniffle from his roommate. Natsuki's hold had transformed from an impromptu pounce in good humor to a rather intense hug.

For a moment Syou couldn't find the right words to say, his mind consumed by the warm pressure of Natsuki's body flush against his back. His heart sped up a bit still unaccustomed to handling the emotions stirred up by the blatant displays of utter affection from the other boy. "I-it's good to be back…" the words slipped lamely from Syou's mouth, nothing could quite sum up his feelings of standing here and now with Natsuki by his side.

Instantly Natsuki released his hold and for a moment Syou thought he had said something wrong before the taller boy forcefully spun him around so they were now standing face to face. Emerald eyes bore into crystalline for an electrifying moment. Syou's breath caught in his throat, his heart skipping a beat in the most pleasant way he had ever experienced. Then Natsuki's soft lips captured his, winning Natsuki Syou's second kiss ever. This time Syou did not hesitate. He returned the kiss, albeit more timidly. The two of them never did get a chance to talk about their last kiss, with Natsuki doing his part to keep from riling Syou up and Syou's concentration on recuperating, the topic was avoided. Yet, the blond would be lying if he said that he never thought about it.

"Whoa, come on guys get a room," Suddenly Ren's smug voice destroyed the moment. Syou could almost hear the smirk in his voice; nearby Ittoki was giggling softly and Haruka attempting to shush him. That was all Syou needed to hear to know that the rest of the STARISH crew had just walked in on them in a very compromising position. Despite knowing that his friends would wholeheartedly approve of Natsuki and his relationship, and Ren was just giving them a hard time; Syou felt the heat of embarrassment flood his system. He wasn't ashamed to be with Natsuki, far from it; but public displays of affection were not his thing.

The shorter boy pulled away from the embrace quickly, suddenly breathless and wobbly as the excitement sent his heart pounding. It only took a second to realize that he had failed to move an inch away from his roommate; Natsuki held him steadfastly against him, refusing to let go. Slightly baffled Syou looked up to find Natsuki waving their companions off with a carefree smile, obviously not affected in the slightest by getting caught. Syou knew the others had already seen them kiss back at the hospital, but something was different about it now. Before, the kiss had been brief yet powerful: laced with dread, hope, and all the insecurities Natsuki faced at the prospect of losing Syou. Now, however, had been a proper declaration of mutual affection, something Syou felt should be a private and quiet affair.

Natsuki's arms tightening around prompted Syou to let this rampant thoughts rest, it was barely his first day back at Saotome, he couldn't let himself get so worked up. Taking in a deep breath the slight male relaxed into his loved firm hold, allowing the last visages of dizziness to ebb from his system.

"Syou, are you okay?" Natsuki questioned softly once the others were out of earshot, obviously worried by Syou's rather lackluster stance.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Syou responded honestly. Looking up, he grinned contently at the other boy. This time when he pushed away to free himself it was slow and gentle. Natsuki returned the smile brightly, freely releasing the smaller boy.

"Come on, let's get back to practice." Syou announced, allowing normalcy to return. Yet, instead of walking off to join the others, leaving Natsuki to chase after him, as he had so often in the past, Syou reached out a hand to the other boy in a rare display of unadulterated affection. Beaming Natsuki grasped the proffered limb and together they met up with the rest of their brothers and sister in song.

From the hundreds of faces in the crowd, Syou spotted a familiar pair of blue eyes, their blond owner was smiling softly- a smile of love and joy for the success and might of his older brother. Syou spared his twin a triumphant grin before he moved onto center stage, gearing up for his solo. The crowd cheered frantically as Syou took the spotlight. It had been three weeks since he returned to school, nine weeks since his operation, and twelve grueling weeks since he last set foot on the stage. The glittering lights, the joyous screams of the fans, and above all the smiling faces of his friends made Syou giddy, overwhelmed with happiness. This was exactly where he belonged, together with the ones he loved, living life at his own pace without a moment of regret- for today, for tomorrow, and for always.