Its been over two years.

Two years since he tried to kill himself, thinking that the world would be a better place without him. That people would be better off without his burden.

But now, he was better than ever. Physically, at least. He has been in college for two years now; staying with Jotaro in a small apartment in America, studying Botany while Jotaro sought after his Marine Biology dream. He had gained a lot more weight, looking pretty normal again as before. Not to mention, he could walk a lot better. He still needed braces (and the occasional crutch), because as nice as it is to be alive, he would never be the same. And the redhead eventually came to terms with that, making do with what he had and doing the best he could.

Even his mother was better. At least, she had been acting it, her smile bright every time Kakyoin had called her. She hadn't had someone as diligent as him to check on her, so his voice was something she looked forward to every day. His father had work, and often missed days of making sure she was okay. That's where Kakyoin came in, being sure she had eaten or taken her meds. He made sure she was well, even if he wasn't himself.

It's been two years since he's been with Jotaro. Jotaro is the one who was always there for him, made sure he was alright and well kept. Jotaro is the one that kept him sane.

—

"Jotaro, what do you want for dinner? You haven't eaten all day, so don't say you aren't hungry." He knew the raven-haired boy too well, he often got stuck in his studies and would go hours on end without eating. "Mmnh... Ramen is fine." He murmurs back, flipping the page of his textbook. Kakyoin pushed his lips together. "I'll make Oyakodon." That gets his attention, causing his curly-haired head to look up. As much as he loved his mothers cooking (it will forever be his favorite), Kakyoin's comes in a close second. The boy just has such a good cooking style, he's sure anyone would love it. "Mmh."

A soft chuckle comes from the boy as he walks off back to the kitchen, eyes closed for a moment before he opens them once again and goes to grab the fridge handle, opening it and pulling the ingredients out. He had just bought then yesterday, planning to make it for dinner then but they ended up going out to get some food because he grew too weak. "Jotaro, can you come and help me?" It's a moment before the man comes, the thumping of his heavy steps easily heard through the quiet apartment. Hands slide to hold the smaller close, pressing gentle kisses to the side of his neck before he rested his chin against his shoulder. "What do you need help with?"

—

"How are you feeling today?" Kakyoin is laying in bed as he says this, arms wrapped around his sleeping boyfriend. "I feel fine. The doctors have been nice to me... I also got to speak to father today again." There's silence from his end of the line before he just smiles. "That's great. How is he doing?" He knew who she meant, now. Her 'father' was his father—her husband. He had been completely replaced in her mind as a blood family relation.

"He is doing well! Misses you I think. He stares at the door expectingly! You should come to visit again." More quiet yet again from Kakyoin's side as he bites his lip. "I will when summer comes around. ACA just ended for us, so it'll be a few months.. but I will come."

"Bring your friend too!"

—

"And place that there—no, no there." Jotaro grunted as he placed the garnish on top of the soupy liquid, not really understanding WHY he had to. It was gonna be eaten here in a little bit.. "Perfect! You did so well~" Kakyoin chuckles, kissing his lips lovingly and escaping his hold; grabbing the two bowls and setting the table. Jotaro ended up dropping his slight aggravation and smiled, coming to a stop as he approached the table moments after. Kakyoin was already about to dig in, starving. And frankly, Jotaro was too. Taking a seat, he mumbles a quiet "itadakimasu" before bowing his head and beginning to eat; Kakyoin follows short after.

"Tastes amazing." Jotaro compliments, earning a smile from the redhead. "Glad you think so—"

RING
RING
RING

Kakyoin blinks; eyes casting to the phone near him on the counter not too far away. He stands and goes to answer it. "Hello?.....Yes, this is he—" He starts, listening to the woman on the other end talk. "Kakyoin who is it—" He's cut off by the clattering of the phone hitting the ground. He looks up to see the redhead staring at the wall with sudden tears barreling their way down his face, and in an instant he knew something had happened. Skyrocketing from his chair, the raven haired came over and picked the phone up. "Who is this??" He asked, pulling the still stunned Kakyoin into his arms. "This is the Sakura City hospital; may I ask who this is?" Jotaro grit his teeth. "The spouse to the Kakyoin son now tell me what the fuck happened!"

"Ah i'm sorry—Kyumi Kakyoin has passed, and I was calling to let her son—you guys, know."

He can feel his heart stopping as it skipped a beat. "....I-I see. Uh.. thank you." He hangs up without second thought and immediately he can feel the grip on him grow tighter as it starts to sink in for Kakyoin. "...Nori—" He's halted by a loud cry as he screams out into his chest, tears pouring out from his eyes and staining into his dark turtleneck. It pains Jotaro immensely to see him in such pain—such.. agony as the realization hits him. And it's enough to make Jotaro cry. Loud sobs can be heard throughout the apartment; maybe even outside of it as he shakily holds onto Jotaro, who's his only support. His legs have long given out suddenly, so he was holding him up.

She was gone. Kakyoin wasn't there. Jotaro shakily grabs the redhead by his thighs and lifts him, placing an arm under him as support and walking towards the bedroom. He needed to calm down. Laying against the bed, he hold him close, rubbing his back as the redhead continued to sob, his breath hitching as he rested against his chest. "S-S-She—I—" He gripped again and looked up at Jotaro to see his own teary eyes. He blinked before carefully reaching up and wiping his eyes with his thumb, sniffling.

"I..I have to...we need to—" "I know. We will get a flight tomorrow, promise." Jotaro looked down at him and kissed his head, taking a shaky breath. Kakyoin looked down; eyes shut.

"....Okay."

—

"Promise me one thing, Nori.." Kyumi speaks quietly as her son laid beside her. "When i'm gone; don't mourn me. Take my death as a grain of salt and move on. There is no need for you to mourn something that is inevitable." She looks over. Kakyoin blinks, opening his mouth to speak before looking down.

"I can't."

"Of course you can. You can do anything."

—

Two days later. The time they arrive is a day before the funeral service. Kakyoin looks... lifeless. He's got bags under his eyes as per usual, but they're darker.. more noticeable. Jotaro has some too, from having to juggle work and keeping Kakyoin at bay and most importantly; safe. He knows how he gets. He doesn't need another incident like before.

"Nori..." His father is the first to rush up and greet the two; you can tell he's overcome with grief himself. Theres this look of sadness and distress on his face as he embraces them in a hug. Kakyoin shakes a bit when he feels the hold, soon breaking down into another crying fit as he gripped his shirt. "I'm sorry—I-I wasn't here like I promised—" He stuttered out, being shushed when the hand on his head is apparent.

"Don't worry.. it's okay. We didn't know."

Jotaro sighs softly. He should go let his own mother know, she enjoyed being around her. "I'll be right back." He murmurs and walks into the house that the male used to live in, immediately going to the bathroom on the top floor. He pulls his phone out, looking down at the small screen before he dialed his mother's number, bringing it to his ear. "..... Hey, mom. Yeah i'm okay...No, we're fine. Mom, listen—god damnit wait—mom. Mom let me talk." Holly apologized and quieted down. "Go on, i'm sorry!" She has that cheery tone she always had.

"Nori's mother died." He says, voice shaking just lightly. "We're.. in Sakura right now, we'll come by later. But right now I figured i'd let you know." He murmured gently and sat down on the edge of the tub, leaning on his knees. "Oh... oh no.. how is he holding up..?" She has complete concern in her soft voice, gripping the phone she had lightly. "He's trying.. but he isn't doing well. It's concerning." He sighs softly and rubs his head. "It's scaring me, I-I don't want him to—" Holly shushes him over the phone and he reaches up, covering his mouth to silence his quiet sobs. "It's going to be okay, Jojo. Don't overthink. Be there for him."

"...Y-Yeah." She was right, overthinking wouldn't get him anywhere. He couldn't stop it, really; no one ever could. But he could focus on something different for the while. "I'll call you again soon. Love you." He hangs up and takes a moment to compose himself. The one thing that scares him the most is losing Kakyoin.

Without him, he'd surely lose his sanity.