Author's Notes:
_Blah_ emphasized words
"Blah" dialogue
BLAH really loud words
//blah// time reference
~~ scene change

Act Two of Book One (The Price of Friendship)

BOOK I ACT II: DARKNESS DESCENDS

~~

PART 1

"He’ll make it…Kou’ll make it…" Yamato choked out into the stifling silence that had blanketed the room. It had seemed as everyone had suddenly lost his or her faith in the redhead the instant the dismal diagnosis left Dr. Hitora’s mouth, and Yamato felt as if someone had to stand up for the bed-ridden boy.

"He’ll make it!" Yamato said more insistently, mustering a weak resolve behind the words. He needed to hear the conviction; he needed to believe that there was hope.

And most of all, he needed the others to believe as well.

He looked around the room, searching desperately for some semblance of hope on the others’ faces.

Taichi turned away from Yamato as soon as their eyes met, but Yamato had caught the sad, deflated look in those amber orbs. It was the same look that Taichi had given him two weeks ago… after Jyou’s damning words.

Yamato glared at the back of Taichi’s head, silently fuming. How could Taichi have gone from being enthusiastically happy to unusually melancholy? Was Taichi’s faith in Koushiro so fickle?

Turning away from his love, Yamato reached out to Sora, eager to find some reassurance in her. But he only found dark, watery coffee eyes staring at him in an unspoken dejection. A small negative shake of Sora’s head did nothing to help the flickering hope that was slowly ebbing away.

What was wrong with them??

Why did they look so… defeated?

They hadn’t even started the battle, and they were acting as if they had already lost.

In a fit of burning desperation, Yamato turned to the form of Jyou, looking at the lanky teen for the first time in two weeks.

Fathomless ebony pools gazed listlessly back at Yamato, offering neither comfort nor answer. Instead, without any trace of acrimony, they seemed to say ‘I told you so.’

Jyou’s words flooded back, and Yamato grinded his teeth to stop from screaming.

So what if Jyou’s worries were confirmed?

So what if the road ahead of them was shadowy and bound to be painful?!

Wasn’t it enough that it was to help Koushiro?

Wasn’t it enough that Koushiro depended on them…

Wasn’t hope enough?

But even as Yamato struggled to keep that dying flame alive, a dark knot of helplessness and utter despair, so valiantly smothered away, began to unravel…

‘The brighter the light… the deeper the darkness…’

~~

PART 2

A somber silence had settled about the room after Yamato’s strangled outbursts. It was an eerie cold, as if the winter weather outside had somehow wormed its way into the room.

"We’ll do whatever it takes, Dr. Hitora. You can be assured of that. And I just know Koushiro will pull through – he always has," Mrs. Izumi stated quietly, the strength and love behind the words very clear despite her soft tone.

There was a complete confidence in the voice, a type of belief that could only have been created by the special bond between a mother and her son.

"He’s never been the type to quit."

And Mrs. Izumi would not believe otherwise.

And perhaps it was how she said it, or how she truly believed in it, but her simple, yet meaningful words somehow pushed back the darkness that threatened to consume the occupants of the room.

But not to enough to stop the darkness from hovering just above their souls.

Dr. Hitora gave Mrs. Izumi a small smile that was neither comforting nor doubting, but rather somewhat encouraging. Sensing that the layer of doubt and animosity had for now evaporated into something less acrimonious, Dr. Hitora raked his hand through his peppered hair and carefully gathered all the charts and notes, placing them back into the manila folder.

Then, he looked back up at the occupants in the room, already used to the scrutiny, and stood up from his chair.

"Well, I suppose that ends this conference. I have complete faith that Mr. Izumi will pull through like Mrs. Izumi here has said. Just be cautioned that this will take time and patience. It will be difficult, but not impossible. Just keep hope, and this ordeal will be seen through – no matter what happens," Dr. Hitora said, trying to give some confidence to the seemingly defeated souls, but not wanting to lift them up so high as to make the situation seem flawless.

"But to put these thoughts aside, I believe that it would do both Mr. Izumi and all of you good if you all made contact with him. That way, Mr. Izumi can at least identify something ‘familiar’ from his life – and please kindly remember that he may not act very pleased to see any of you if he does respond at all. Reaction, whether good or negative, is better than none; and that is what we are trying to strive for.

"So, in the "first visit," I do not expect to see any significant changes, but this way we can lay the foundation of ‘safety’ for Mr. Izumi. This way he knows that all of you are here – real – and that he _is_ able to reach out for help. Are there any objections or concerns?" Dr. Hitora asked as he straightened out his jacket.

"Won’t it be overwhelming for him to see so many of us in such a small period of time?" Sora commented, concerned about Koushiro’s reaction to being smothered and not having somewhere to retreat to if he wanted to be alone.

"I’m glad that you asked that Ms. Takenouchi," Dr. Hitora replied patiently, "Yes, it would be quite overwhelming for Mr. Izumi if all of you go in there at the same time. I suppose I should have been more specific about the visitation process, and I apologize. I would like Mr. and Mrs. Izumi to visit their son first – they are Koushiro’s family and will probably have the most effect. Then, I ask that the rest of you come sometime during the next two weeks – this is Tuesday… yes – on different days so that way Koushiro can assimilate everything that will be going on. Everything is completely new to him – he has to learn to communicate with others again. Just come by the front desk and tell the nurse that you are here to see Mr. Izumi; I will leave a note granting your visitation. Do you all understand?"

Several nods signaled to Dr. Hitora that they understood.

"Well, then I thank you for giving me your time. Mr. and Mrs. Izumi, will you please follow me? And I hope to see the rest of you in the following days. Take care," Dr. Hitora said lightly as he gestured for Koushiro’s parents to follow him to see their son, flashing a small smile to the four teenagers before he left.

And then Taichi, Yamato, Jyou, and Sora were left alone…
 

TBC