It seemed as if his parents and Akai's were on separate schedules---arriving at opposite times and nearly never meeting. They did once, it seemed, outside in the hall as Connor's arrived and Akai's were leaving. But they were on their way the day Akai was able to stay awake, though not around when he sat up. Connor sat on the foot of the bed, grasping Akai's hand tightly and trying to smile without completely breaking down. "I love you too Akai..." He said quickly, catching himself and swallowing carefully. "I'm sorry I couldn't do anything... about..." He looked down, shaking his head as the door opened and his parents arrived. "M-mom! Dad..."

Miller and Denise looked as worried as ever. They had spent day after day begging Connor to leave the room for a while, a night, but he refused, feeling he would miss when Akai woke up and stayed awake. Denise stepped around the chair, grasping her son's arm. "Akai, we've heard just about everything about you." Miller said as he approached, smiling at Sasha. "You've made Connor pretty happy---it's so good you're okay." Denise smiled, and Connor sniffed a bit, shaking his head. "Guys... do you have it?"

Miller smiled and nodded. "Yep, we have it all. We'll wait until Fred gets back to talk about it, okay?"

Connor nodded, looking toward Akai.