Time Tells All

"Kurama are you sure you want to do this?" Yusuke questioned as he ran alongside the red haired demon.

"I don't have another option to choose from." Kurama replied finally reaching his destination; the roof of the hospital. He turned to look at the boy dressed in green beside him. "I feel I am the cause of my mother's illness, like I am a mother devouring creatrue. All the stress and sadness I've caused her over the years I've been here, deceiving her. Saving her at the cost of my life is the best way to repay her and make amends."

"While leaving your younger sister an emotional wreak?"Yusuke countered.

"Sayuri will be fine. My sister is stubborn and strong. She'll be sad for a time, but she'll move on... She has to." Kurama stated. Though his face showed no emotion, his voice betrayed him as sorrow twisted into his calm tone.

"There's got to be another-"

"There's not!" Kurama snapped. Realizing what he did, the fox collected his composure before continuing. "I have to save my human mother. No matter how this turned out, be it I die or she, Sayuri will still be heart broken. There's no way around it. They will both be better without me around in the long run, happier. Mother has her boyfriend who owns the small business she works for, he can support them, they'll be fine."

The kitsune looked up as he spoke, waiting for the clouds to finish clearing from around the moon. Just as the light shone down on the roof, he took out the mirror from his pocket ready to save his beloved human mother.

She didn't know how long she had stayed in the hallway after Shuichi left her behind. At some point she had numbly walked to the wall and, with her back to it, slid to the floor; hugging her knees to her chest.

'He is really going to kill himself to save our mother.'

Tears threatened to fall again, collecting in the corners of her eyes while she rested her forehead against her knees. Shuichi would want her to be strong, she knew that, but she couldn't be right now. She thought losing her mother was going to be hard, but losing her brother was worse. She always turned to him when she needed help in school, he was alway there to get her out of sticky situations she couldn't handle, and now she was just supposed to move on and be okay with the fact that he would no longer be there for her to speak to?

How was she to learn more about her demon side and the rose whip? Maybe he wanted it that way, for her to be as clueless as possible about the demon world and what she truly was. It would keep her safer, the less she knew, and Shuichi always wanted her to be safe.

Their mother was going to be heart broken, losing her first born, her son. How long would it take her to cope with the loss? Probably a lot shorter time than Sayuri. Shiori had her boyfriend that would help her through it all and his son was slowly becoming apart of the family as well. She'd have them to make things easier for her, but it wouldn't help Sayuri cope any easier. Nothing could.

The young redhead slowly stood from her spot on the floor, wiping the tears from her face, and began her trek down the halls back to her mother's room and further away from her soon to be lifeless brother. They had run a lot further away from the room than she had thought, but she didn't care; the closer she made it to the room the more real her loss was becoming. She didn't look at any of the doctors or nurses she passed as she went, she didn't even notice the one running down the hall calling her name till she was right in front of her.

"Sayuri!" Rei exclaimed placing her hands on the girl's shoulders. "It's your mother, she's okay! She's alive!" The nurse cried happily. She looked around noticing the missing Minamino sibling. "Where's your brother?"

"Talking with a friend, he'll be back shortly." Sayuri lied in a monotone voice. She felt empty inside, knowing he wouldn't be coming.

"Alright then. C'mon let's go!" Rei stated pulling Sayuri down the hall to the room the girl's mother was in.

Sayuri walked in after a little shove from Rei and was greeted by her mother's boyfriend coming over to her and hugging her quickly.

"She's going to be okay now. The doctors don't know what happened, but she's going to be all better. Where's Shuichi?" The man rambled, fixing the glasses he wore as he looked behind his girlfriend's daughter for the missing son.

"He's speaking with a friend and should be back soon." Rei replied, reciting what Sayuri had said a few moments before.

The youngest Minamino didn't utter a word to the people around her though as she stared at her mother's sleeping form. She took slow and careful steps closer to the bed. Tears gathered once again with each step she took until she was right beside her no longer dying mother. Taking hold of the woman's hand, Sayuri sat in the chair by the bed and let the tears flow. It was true her brother was gone. He did it, he saved their mother at the expense of his own life.

Sayuri sat there for a few minutes, her tears had subsided for she didn't want to cry anymore. It wasn't going to bring Shuichi back. She rested her head on her mother's hospital bed and was just about to fall asleep when one sentence, no name, brought her full attention to the conversation at the door of the room.

"Ah, Shuichi there you are!" Her head lifted at the sound of his name. "Your mother is going to be fine."

"It's amazing what the will to live can do for the sick. It's a miracle." The doctor who was checking up on Shiori stated.

By that time Sayuri had risen to her feet. She turned around at the sound of footsteps coming closer to come face to face with her elder brother. He smiled down at her and placed a hand on her cheek breifly before moving it to take hold of their mother's hand that Sayuri had let go of in her moment of shock.

"Shuichi?" The still weak voice of their mother whispered causing her son to smile.

"I'm here mother, I'm here." He said taking a seat beside her bed. A tear fell down his cheek; he was happy his mother was well, but he was also thankful to be alive. If Yusuke hadn't of interfered, yelling something about a mother seeing her son die and a sister who needed him alive, he would be dead right now.

He looked up at his sister who had stepped closer, wide eyes shining with tears. He smiled softly at her, knowing exactly why she was acting the way she was.

"You... You're..." She was at a loss for words. He nodded answering her unasked question as she reached out and wiped his tear away. The simple action let her know that she wasn't dreaming, Shuichi was actually there; he was still alive. A smile broke out and tears fell down her face for the hundredth time that night.

These tears were different though; they weren't because she was sad and hurting. No, she was unbelievably happy. The tears she shed as she practically fell into her brother's arms and hugged him tightly were because she was happy. She still had her family, her mother and brother, neither left her and she couldn't have been happier.