A.N: Why do I do this to myself? Why? WHY?! Le sigh. This is not some random fic or one-shot (HALLELUJAH!), but instead, the result of punching walls (LIA), popping Excedrin like a mad person (FoF), throwing notebooks at random people in my house (OLG), and nearly tearing all the hair off my head (FEA). Yes, I become very much more violent and weirder than usual when I become frustrated with my writing. -.-; You guys all remember that little Halloween one-shot 'Halfway There' (if not, go check it out on my profile) and how I said I wouldn't (WOULDN'T! I SAID WOULDN'T, DAMN IT!) continue it, right?

Well, I lied. Double le sigh.

You don't have to read it to understand this story, but in terms of characterization and such, it is suggested. I told you guys if I continued, it wouldn't be fluffy. In fact, I said it would be damn near tragic. Well, I didn't lie about that. There might be one last one-shot to add to this universe if you guys really want to have more, but I don't know. If you guys like this one, we'll see.

And last but not least, many thankies and heart-felt hugs to the bestest beta in the world, Kitsune55, for looking over this for me by the way! You know you're awesome, girl! XD

Title: Back to You

"It seems that he'll have to begin chemotherapy once again... though we may have to skip that altogether and right into radiotherapy a.s.a.p., as his body is becoming too weak to sustain itself without radical assistance with the elimination of the cancerous cells in his bone marrow."

Raito felt his fists clench against the aging leather of the steering wheel of his decaying 1989 Camry, cinnamon-brown eyes blurring over with unshed tears. The city's lights blared down on the windshield of his car alongside the sheets of heavy rain cascading from the heavens above, giving the city a rather blurred outline to its already bleary landscape.

"So… that's it? You told us he was in remission and that there was a 95 percent chance that the cancer was gone, and the best you can do is simply give me 'solutions' that I've already heard before?! He isn't a damn statistic, that's my son in there!"

'I need… I need a break. I need a break, or a vacation, or just… or just something to keep sane. That's why… that's why we left. To keep me sane. But… but… all I received in return was…'

"I'm sorry, but as I've told you before, these things do happen. All we can do now is try to contain the cancerous cells and if things escalate to the point where it becomes too much for his body to take, we may have to consider doing another bone marrow transplant. I doubt he is in such a state where that is really necessary, but if you would like me to be quite frank, his body is extremely debilitated from a medical standpoint. This is a boy that has been sick all of his life; didn't you think that would have consequences on his future as the disease was set into remission?"

Feeling the dams holding back his emotions about to shatter, Raito hit the steering wheel as hard as he could with his left hand, a stinging pain automatically caressing his knuckles at the sudden contact. Wet locks of hair clung to his forehead as the red light above him blinked once before turning green. Even as cars began to speed past him, the sodden brunette did not move from his spot as he leaned against the wheel and closed his water-drenched eyes.

"I… I see. I… didn't…"

'Why can't I just let you go?'

"Ma'am, he is going to need your support right now. All I can truly ask of you as his doctor is to hope for the best and to keep those he loves close by his side."

Ignoring the honks still blaring behind him, Raito allowed the tears clinging to his eyes to fall as he opened them once more, the night sky blurring over into a much more familiar bluish-white…

"By his side? Huh… that isn't the problem, doctor. I know the person who truly loves my son will stay by his side. The real question here is, doctor, is how long will it be before even that becomes too much for the poor boy to stand."

"I still think it looks like an elephant."

"I'm sure you do." Raito rolled his eyes as his slightly older friend nearly tripped over his own feet, not caring in the slightest whilst he strolled over to his bus stop. "But I fail to see how cloud-watching entered into our conversation in the first place."

"I'm sure you do." Lawliet grinned as he coughed, hiding his cringe behind a well-placed even stare that managed to creep out even the most diligent of thugs and jocks. "Which is why we are speaking of it to begin with. Raito-kun has become so boring since we have entered high-school, and it has only escaladed with each passing year."

"I have not." The brunette muttered whilst taking out his psychology book and opening it up to the page assigned by his teacher, already beginning to tune out his best friend as he sat down at the bench beside them. "I'm just as interesting as always."

"Hm…" Lawliet hummed as he gently plucked the book out of his friend's hands, ignoring the startled 'Hey!' that was received. "I'm afraid that Raito-kun is becoming delirious from his heavy workload and over-enthusiastic school schedule. I believe a vacation is in order."

"Says who?!"

"Your overly-concerned significant other whom has placed it upon his own shoulders to take you out with no expenses on your part that is who." Lawliet droned as Raito's face turned a bright strawberry-red, smirking in satisfaction as the teenage boy barely contradicted the 'significant other' fact and kept to his silence rather beautifully. Bringing himself down on one knee in order to embarrass the boy further, Lawliet smirked up at the boy now staring at him with wide eyes. "Does Raito-kun accept?"

"Yes, yes, now get up you idiot!" Raito pulled the now-laughing teen up from his knees as random students also exiting their school stared at the usually stoic 18-year-old now smiling as if he hadn't a worry in the world. "Can't I go anywhere with you without you making a damn scene?!"

Lawliet shrugged as he sat as closely as socially-acceptable (he knew Raito would throw a hissy fit if he sat any closer, and though he normally didn't care, he didn't want to ruin the moment) next to his 'secret' boyfriend, staring up at the sky once more as Raito sighed and took back his psychology book.

"But really…" Lawliet smirked. "It does actually look like an elephant if you tilt your head just so…"

"Ugh… Lawliet, please…"

Raito gasped as a series of raucous honking was heard, the cries of angry men and women yelling at him to just go propelling him forward as he glanced up at the green light and pressed on the accelerator, the haunted look not escaping his eyes at all.

'How many times…'

Keeping his eyes on the road, Raito sighed as he whirled past thriving nightclubs and strip joints, along with beautiful restaurants and large hotels. The streets began to roll by in a large blur of brightly lit lights, making the teen question his actual location yet again.

'How many times do I have to live through this before I shatter?'

Sometimes, Raito really wished he could just let go.

"I can't believe you're actually making me do this…" Raito groaned into his pillow as Lawliet dug through his drawers and closet, pulling out random clothes and throwing them down on his bed. "And I can't believe you're just going through my things like that! Don't do that, you'll wrinkle that shirt!"

Jumping off his bed in just his flannel pajama pants and nothing else, Raito grabbed the aforementioned shirt out of his boyfriend's pale hands, not noticing the elongated stare cast on his behind as he bent down to retrieve his other fallen shirts or chest and back as he turned to hang the articles of clothing so that they wouldn't become wrinkled and bunched up together.

"Honestly…" Raito flicked his bangs out of his hands out of his fiery gaze as he glared at his long-time friend and crossed them over his bare chest in annoyance. "Who let you up here, and what the hell do you think you're doing just grabbing my stuff and throwing it all around whilst not even telling me at least where we're going or if I actually want to go to begin with?"

"Raito-kun is being boring again." Lawliet almost smiled as that cute glare evolved into an even cuter pout, those thoroughly half-awakened features on the other student's face making it very hard not to pounce on half-naked brunette. "What ever happened to the boy who used to jump at the chance at any opportunity to do something spontaneous and new?"

"Life happened, Lawliet." Raito whispered as the other boy crossed the few steps that lay in between them and held him within his frail arms, pale face creased in worriment as the brunette sighed once more. "I just… worry about you so much, ya know? I don't… want anything to happen to you because of me, is all."

"Very funny, Raito-kun." The light-skinned raven-haired teen barely smiled as he buried his face into the crook of his friend's shoulder, the remnants of a fever he had been once again attempting to hide still clinging desperately to his aching body as he closed his eyes in exhaustion. "I'm sure if something were to happen to me, it would be doubtful that it would be Raito-kun's fault in the least."

"Lawliet!"

"I'll be fine, Raito-kun. It is… just a little fever, is all." Lawliet replied as he let go of the boy and sat down on the bed, the distilling sense of vertigo making his head spin all the more before quietly dwindling away. "I want to do this for you, Raito. Please."

"You feel a little too hot, Lawliet…" Raito bit his lip as he placed the back of his hand over the other's very warm forehead. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Of course, Raito-kun." Lawliet felt another wave of dizziness pass silently as he continued to sit on the bed and concentrated only on the concerned face above him. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Fine… you said you were fine."

Raito smiled bitterly to himself as he pulled up against a curb and parked, knowing that driving in this state any further would most likely result in an accident of some sort.

'Of course you weren't fine. You're never fine, even when we both wish you were.'

Lying back against his plush seat, Raito wondered what he would have said if he were in his friend's place.

Would he lie all the time, and give his lover something false to hold onto?

Would he tell the truth, and crush whatever hope could have lied in between them?

Or… would he settle for something in between?

Raito only knew one thing for certain, and that was he truly loved the dimwit whom had held a tight grasp on the path of his life from age seven and beyond. Denial no longer appealed to him, and anger would get him nowhere. The only thing left to truly embrace was…

This.

"Ok, ok, I'm coming, Lawliet, just slow down! Damn…" Raito briefly waved over at his parents as they waved back through the window, grabbing his keys from his boyfriend's hands as they both entered the slightly beat-up car. "You act is if we're going to be late or something. We're only going to the city for the weekend. Big whoop."

"Ah, but Raito-kun must remember that this will be a weekend filled with no papers or concerns about family or school work…" Lawliet nearly smirked as Raito turned on the ignition and put the car in reverse, face a slight pink. "It will just be the two of us, alone, for the very first time in a long time, Raito-kun. Are you not excited?"

"Ah… I guess." The pink on Raito's face evolved into a deep burgundy red as he glanced away at the wily smirk now resting on Lawliet's face as he bit onto his thumb in anticipation. "But, I just… like spending time with you, is all. I could honestly not care if anyone else was there or not, if truth be told. You're the one who really pushed for this, remember?"

"To help Raito-kun remember what it was like to be lively."

"With you with me all the time, how could I forget?"

"Aw… Raito-kun is so cute when he is attempting to be romantic!"

"Hey! Stop trying to hug me, damn it! DRIVING, LAWLIET, I'M DRIVING!"

"Oh, only just a little bit more, Raito-kun…"

"OH MY GOD, POLE! POLE!"

"Hm… I'll show you a pole…"

"DAMN IT, LAWLIET, GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF YOUR ZIPP-OH MY GOD, I'M SO SORRY, YOU POOR SQUIRREL!"

"… … … Well... Raito-kun has officially killed the mood without even trying once again."

"You are such a dumb-ass."

Looking up at the water-infested windshield in front of him, Raito remembered just why he was feeling the way he was feeling.

Opening the car door, Raito stepped outside and allowed himself to become drenched in the rain.

It wasn't a question about how long it was until he was broken…

It was always a question of how long he had until Lawliet was.

Feeling the stinging pelts of rain against his cheeks, (it could have been teardrops, but Raito would never really know for sure) Raito felt the last of his doubt fade away.

He was certain of only one thing, after all.

And that one thing would always be what held him together.

Wouldn't it?

"I told you we would get here in one piece."

"…"

"Raito-kun is being irritating again. Especially since I already have the whole evening planned out and ready for the both of us, and he continues to hold onto the sour look on his gorgeously sculpted face."

"…"

"Raito-kun…" Lawliet pulled against the teen's golden hand as he gave his boyfriend a sly glance, wide gray eyes pulling the puppy dog look rather beautifully. "Please be happy?"

"Sometimes, just sometimes," Raito whispered as he pulled his hand away and unbuckled his seat belt, rolling his light hazel eyes in distaste. "I forget just who is actually older than whom in this relationship."

Lawliet simply grinned in response.

The sidewalk seemed to melt away as Raito sat down and closed his eyes, the bright lights around him swirling and swirling until they became a massive blur, the small amount of people outside wandering about in the horrible rainstorm staring at the teen strangely as he leaned his cheek against his car door.

His clothes were drenched, but he did not care.

He would most likely get sick, but it did not matter.

Lifting up his left hand, Raito took in the simple silver band lying on his middle finger as rivulets of slightly toxic water ran down the small expanse of his smooth freckle-free golden skin.

It always led back to Lawliet, no matter what Raito did to deviate from such train of thoughts.

"Come, Raito!" Pulling the boy into the hotel room, Lawliet nearly laughed out loud as the boy stumbled over his own feet, the bags weighing him down rather painfully. "I've made reservations for the restaurant next door and wish to make haste!"

"But I haven't even gotten a chance to change yet!" Raito cried out as Lawliet then let go of his hand and plopped down on the bed. A sultry glance up was all Raito received for a warning before he was pulled down on top of the 18-year-old maniac, blushing like a cherry ripe for the picking.

"Well, if Raito-kun is concerned about changing…" Lawliet smiled saucily as Raito rolled over to the side, pouting lightly in a cute fashion.

"You're always teasing me."

"Only because," Lawliet poked the easily-riled teen on the nose as he wrapped an arm around his workaholic boyfriend's waist, wishing to get even closer than what skin allowed. "Raito is so much fun to tease."

"Maybe." Raito smiled as he burrowed deeper within the boy's embrace, hiding his burning cheeks within the crook of his neck. "Maybe…"

What was the point of even reminiscing anymore?

He was at a crossroads…

Even Lawliet, the person who knew Raito better than anyone else on the planet, didn't realize just how close he was to just packing it all up and just giving in. Even a person like Raito, who hardly reconciled with the word defeat on a trial basis, could only go through the same soul-tearing process so many times before throwing in the towel.

Raito wished he could smile again, like he used to when both he and Lawliet were children and Raito knew nothing of any diseases or miseries tied to them.

But that was just a passing dream.

And the rain, Raito thought to himself as he felt the breath leave his mouth in a soft exhale…

It still continued to fall.

"I don't want to go to dinner." Raito announced, his eyes melting into a smooth dim chocolate brown as he stared into the other's moonlit silvery gaze.

Lawliet smiled as he tightened his embrace over the boy.

"What does Raito wish to do then?"

"Is that your way of being flirtatious, Lawliet?" Raito laughed as the other teen punched him on the shoulder, pouting lightly. "I think we need to work on your skills, then."

"Brat…"

Throughout the years, the one thing that had held the two boys together had been the undeniable gravitation of personalities. Both were two long lost souls different from the rest, and they had both found respite in each other.

No one really understood them, and no one ever even cared to try.

They pretended to tolerate Raito, because he in turn pretended he was one of the same; another faceless set within the crowd.

They pretended to ignore Lawliet, because he pretended he didn't care whether they did or not; another eccentric outsider who didn't know any better.

Each held a secret that set them apart from everyone else, and whether they wished to deny it or not, everyone noticed what it was both boys tried so hard to deny.

Raito was a boy who worked hard to blend in, because standing out meant facing the fact that he was not normal and really, just as much an outcast as the ones others desperately ignored.

Lawliet was a boy who worked hard to disassociate himself from his peers, because not doing so meant facing the fact that he could not be normal, even if he tried.

They were both cut from the same piece of wood, irregularly shaped from everyone else.

Raito smiled bitterly to himself as he stood up, the glinting silver of the ring still sitting on his finger vanishing behind the long sleeve of his leather coat.

And when one of them disappeared…

The other would just slowly fade away into the nothingness along with them.

Their bond kept them tied together more than any life-threatening illness possibly could, simply because it was not that that had brought them together. It was just another obstacle set forth in front of them to test their spirits.

Climbing back into the car, Raito shivered as the warm air from the heater of the car blew against his damp sandy bangs. Water condensed against the windshield as the tired 17-year-old sighed, feeling the droplets of rain (and something else that still decorated his face) roll down his cheeks.

"So I suppose we can skip dinner, then…" Lawliet pouted as he stood up, shoulders hunched over as he dug both of his hands within the pockets of his jeans, fiddling with something in his left pocket. "Goodbye cheesecake…"

"You do realize they have room service here, right?" Raito deadpanned, rolling his eyes as Lawliet rushed to the phone in a haste the 17-year-old student only saw when it either concerned sweets or making out. "I guess you do now."

"Hello, room service?! Yes, yes, I know all that, my question is… Do you serve cake?! Preferably delicious cake?! REALLY?! No… you do not understand, sir. I love cake! SO YOU BETTER MAKE IT SPECTACULAR AND OH-SO-FRESH OR I WILL PERSONALLY MAKE SURE YOU NEVER MAKE ANOTHER DAMN CAKE EVER AGAIN!"

Raito attempted to hide his amused smile behind his sleeve, but couldn't control the spurt of laughter that unexpectedly swelled from his lips as Lawliet began to practically salivate at the person on the other line commenting on all the sweets they apparently had on call, his honeyed tenor filling the room's silence, apart from the growling of Lawliet's over-active stomach.

"Don't ever change, Lawliet…" Raito's tomato-red face contrasted rather nicely with the soft forest green sheets curling around him, his white and blue polo looking a bit out of place in the tranquil setting. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost my only form of entertainment, ya know."

The radiant smile on Lawliet's smile seemed to say it all as he put down the phone and blushed, not knowing what to say.

The small, yet heavy box within his left pocket seemed to hang all the more as he stared down at Raito's relaxed form, wondering just what it was he actually wanted to say.

Fully turning on the ignition, Raito wondered just why he was still here, wherever here even was.

'There's only one place to be right now… so why did I think even trying to run would make a difference at all?'

He had stalled long enough.

Someone was waiting for him to hold onto them once more.

"Raito…"

Climbing onto the bed, the older of the two blushed as he straddled the other's waist. Dulcet darkened amber eyes slowly opened once more as Raito slowly smiled, making Lawliet almost fall off the bed in return.

"Uh…"

'Oh God, oh God, oh God, how the hell do I say this without sounding like a complete over-emotional moron?'

If there had ever been an oxymoron, Lawliet thought to himself as he inwardly rolled his eyes, it was that.

"Are you ok, Lawliet?" Bringing up a hand, Raito took in the 18-year-old's flushed face and shallow breathing with a slight tinge of panic set within his features. "Do we need to bring you to a doctor? Are you going to be ok? Do you feel faint?! Lawliet, answer me-Mmph!"

Pushing the boy back into the bed, a pair of warm dry lips quivered as they covered another set of much more appealing ones, soft and plush underneath their own pair. Curling a hand against his boyfriend's bicep, Lawliet slipped the other hand within his left pocket, pulling out the pocket as slowly and carefully as possible.

Forcing the temptation to deepen the kiss past its initial chasteness, the dark-haired sweet-lover lightly propelled himself back as dazed brown eyes chased after him.

"I… I have something for Raito-kun."

Raito blinked in surprise.

"Huh?"

The rolling lights began to quickly fade away along with the pelts of icy rain as the car roared into the night, a large white hospital standing just over the horizon.

No matter how far Raito attempted to stay away…

He was always pulled back again.

With tears clinging to his still burnished light brown gaze, the sniffling russet-haired teen felt the bitter smile slowly softened into something a bit more tangible as the rain began to lessen and lessen.

Gripping the steering wheel within his hands, (even with the ring still shining on his finger, it's hard to remember whether they were ever moving forwards or backwards…) Raito was sure that he really wouldn't have it anyway.

Pulling out a small box from his pocket, Lawliet simply shoved the sizeable square object into the other's face as Raito once again blinked stupidly before grabbing it from his friend's slightly sticky fingers with a small grimace.

"You're not… fake-proposing to me, are you?!" Face burning a bright red, Raito watched a small grin crawl its way across the older teen's pale lips in embarrassment and anger. "Cuz that's not funny, Lawliet! Not funny at all!"

"I would not do that to Raito-kun." Lawliet chuckled. "Besides, I did not get down on one knee, so that would not even be a good fake-proposal anyway. Though I wouldn't mind seeing the look on Raito's face as I opened the box and pulled out a diamond ring…"

"Lawliet!"

"Just…" Dark bangs flew up as the gangly student sighed to himself, running a hand through the perpetually messy locks in a habit of embarrassment. "Open the box, Raito."

Giving the slouching slip of a man one last suspicious glance, Raito carefully opened the box-

And nearly dropped it onto the bed a second later.

"Law-Lawliet…" Raito stuttered, quite sure he was going to have a coronary right then and there. "You said… but… you said that-"

"It is not a diamond ring," Lawliet smiled as he plucked one of the simple silver bands from out of the box and grabbed his friend's right hand and slipped in onto his middle finger. "But I believe it shall suffice for now."

Instead of a joyful declaration or even a half-hearted joke to cover up any embarrassment felt on his own behalf, Raito stayed silent, the look on his face unreadable as stone. Slowly, the smile on the older teen's face withered as dull brown eyes continued to stare down at the ring now decorating their middle finger.

"What does this mean to you?" Raito just had to ask, quite sure that if there was ever a time he felt himself on the verge of tears (not that he was going to cry, damn it!) it would be now. "I have to know, Lawliet. Why are you giving this to me?"

Sitting down on the bed once more, Lawliet felt the edges of his eyes tighten as he scowled rather petulantly at the still blank-faced boy.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Raito, are you alright?! Lawliet has been asking for you for the past hour and a half!"

Raito sighed as he parked the car in the nearly vacant parking lot, the sound of his best friend's mother's voice nearly overwhelming him as he unbuckled his seat belt and opened the car door beside him. Still cradling the cell phone between his ear and his shoulder, Raito took his first step out and glanced up at the large looming hospital standing cold and impersonal in front of him, beckoning him in with its large heavyset doors leading towards someone he just could not let go.

"I'm fine. I just… had to step out for awhile. Take a breather. I'll be up there soon."

"… I see."

Raito cringed at the sound of disappointment and coarse judgment hanging off the woman's voice as the two small words said everything she did not want to say without trying.

'Stop torturing yourselves and just tell the truth already.'

Soggy chestnut bangs hung over his deadened eyes as the slight tinkle of still falling rain began to slowly dwindle into a bare shower, the vestiges of whatever empty shell of feelings were still lingering within his chest evaporated along with the torrential sheets of rain no longer falling as heavily from the heavens.

"I'll be up there in fifteen minutes tops."

"I'll let him know you're coming, but you know he'll be waiting anyway."

"I… I know. Just give me a couple more minutes. Please."

"Of course, Raito. Of course."

"If it was obvious, I wouldn't be asking." Raito deadpanned, his voice flattened in an effort to express just how serious he was. Lawliet shifted as he slouched even further within himself, eyes wandering towards the ceiling in another nervous habit he just could not get rid of.

Tinkering with the ring now hanging off his middle finger, Raito glanced down at the shiny trinket decorating his golden hand. "Does this even mean anything to you, or is this just another present to add to the rest. Because it sure doesn't feel like it is…"

"Look, Raito." Lawliet lifted up the box again so that it sat within the other's peripherals. "I purchased two."

"A matching set…" The bashful brunette couldn't bring himself to glance back up at the raven-haired boy now crawling back onto the bed, box still in hand. "I know. I know. I just… why? Why do you have to do this now, Lawliet? I-I don't… can't do this knowing…"

"Knowing that I might die?" Raito flinched at the callousness in his friend's words, knowing them to be true. "That… That is a ridiculous excuse, Raito."

"What do you mean by tha-"

"Forgive me, Raito, but it is just that I do not see the difference between myself and anyone else."

"How can you say that?!" The blank façade finally broke as Raito leaned forward, his distraught face in perfect view for Lawliet to see. "You're fine now, but what about tomorrow? Or next week? Or the week after that? Just because the cancer cells are gone for the moment, that doesn't mean they won't come back, especially in a person who's already been sick! You're asking me to just push aside the fact that you most likely have a ticking time bomb over your head and devote myself entirely to you without a second thought, and that's not fair, Lawliet!"

"But…" Lawliet threaded a hand through the heated teen's smooth brown locks as he smiled sadly, his eyes holding a tinge of bitterness Raito himself didn't even know existed. "Doesn't everyone have a 'ticking time bomb' over their head, Raito? We all hold an expiration date in the end. No one can truly live forever."

"That… That's different. It's not like other people live knowing that at any moment they're just going to…" Raito shivered as the feel of cold metal against his skin began to slowly dull away, warming along with his body heat. "Look, it doesn't matter. We both know that I don't care about anyone else, Lawliet. Let's just… let this go, ok?"

"I'm sorry, Raito, but I cannot just 'let this go'." Dark hair shaded glistening gray eyes as the older of the two refused to back down. "I do not see the shame in accepting what I have offered, nor do I see any semblance of understanding to your own rationale. I know only one thing, and that this simply solid evidence of my commitment to you, Raito. What little time I may have left, I wish to give only to you, and no one else. Whether we only have a couple days time left together, or several years to savor, I know it is quite clear to me that I am quite willing to devote myself to you. Why is it Raito cannot promise to do the same with me?"

"Because…"

"Raito…" Silvery gray eyes so reminiscent to his best friend's seemed to shimmer under the wide array of hospital lights blaring above them as the tired young boy ran a hand through his still damp locks, wide brown eyes narrowing on their own accord. "He's been asking for you for the last hour and a half he's been awake. I doubt he's even registering the fact that he's in a hospital room, or why. All he's doing is asking the same question over and over again."

Pale dark shadows ringing the underside of the teen's chilly gaze seemed to darken under the intensity of the lights hanging above them as Raito then crossed his arms against his chest and leaned against the wall beside him for leverage. "Ok… just give me a minute."

"I think I've given you plenty of 'minutes', Raito." The older woman sighed a bit as she gestured towards the door a couple feet away from them, still closed shut. "He's waiting."

Raito nodded with a small sigh as he pushed himself up off the wall, tired eyes still radiating with little to no shine.

"Raito?"

Hands centimeters above the door knob, Raito glanced back at the adult now peering at him with gentle eyes.

"I just want to thank you... for staying with him, I mean." Long obsidian locks framed the entirety of the mother's still youthful face as she ducked her head down, feeling the perpetual sting of tears prick at her eyes. Neither dared to meet the other's gaze full on as Raito gripped the door knob now within his grasp. "I may act harsh towards you at times, but I know it must be hard for you to have to see him this way as well. It takes a strong person to come back to this time and again… and I know Lawliet is lucky to have you by his side."

"No, that's not true at all…" Raito smiled sadly to himself as he opened the door. "I'm pretty sure I'm the lucky one, even now."

"I need you, Lawliet. And I can't stand to think of you leaving me. So take your damn time and keep it to yourself." Raito smiled as he grabbed the boy's hand and pulled him forward once more, sending the older of the two tumbling down in a heap of limbs. "I don't need some stupid ring to tell me what I've known all along. There's nothing final about this. There is no need for 'you and me forever' or 'together till the end', because for me, I don't see an ending. Rings be damned."

"Raito…"

"Let's make a compromise, ok? I'll give you all of me, as long as you give me all of you in return. Sound good?"

Smooth gray eyes danced with delight as mocha brown twinkled with merriment.

"Perfect."

"I heard you were asking for me."

Lawliet nearly gasped before succumbing to a coughing fit, gray eyes dulled out by the bland whiteness of the room and pale hospital gown now sticking to his emaciated figure. Raito blushed at the intensity of the other's gaze, fidgeting with the ring lying on his middle finger.

"… I was."

Letting out an uneasy smile slip across his pale features, the raven-haired patient held out his left hand. A silver ring glistened on his own middle finger, seeming to beckon its other half without even trying.

"Today has been a very good day, Raito-kun."

Walking forward, molten amber eyes seemed to brighten with each step taken.

"Was it really, Lawliet?"

And when Raito grasped Lawliet's hand, it was then he definitely knew.

"Of course, Raito-kun. I knew a vacation was just what we both needed."

'No matter what road traveled…' Raito thought to himself as Lawliet's smile grew all the more genuine, gray eyes lightening to their normal silvery-gray.

"Yeah… you're right."

'It always leads me back to you.'

Raito smiled as Lawliet leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips.

'Today was most definitely a good day.'

Owari