Akira and Rin were childhood friends until Rin's family suddenly ran into money problems. Their original plan was solid- they'd be back on their feet in two years, assuming all went well. But it hadn't. Now ten years have passed since Akira had even heard of his best friend, who was nothing more than a distant memory at this point. He still lived in the same house, though life's course had left him there alone. Akira sighs and stirs his oatmeal boredly, choosing to lose himself in thought rather than listen to the grim morning news of more accidents and robberies. 'He'd be fourteen now…' he thought to himself. It was a rather sobering thought, and led him to think of how he'd probably never even see Rin again. Akira got up with a dreary little sigh, dumping the rest of his breakfast in the trash and washing the bowl before turning off the T.V and leaving the otherwise uninhabited house silent once more. So when his phone vibrated with a text from Rin, his shock was almost palpable. With trembling hands, he read the message.

"It's been a while, Akira. So much has happened with my family lately… I need a place to stay. -Rin"

Paranoia ran through Akira's mind, filling him with doubt and a little bit of fear. Why after all this time had Rin suddenly appeared out of nowhere? Akira lived alone now… letting someone in who was a practical stranger left him open to the possibility of a robbery. Could he trust him after all this time? He ignored the message, shoving his phone in his coat pocket and leaving the house to go to school. Now was not the time to worry about things. The next two days crawled by, each free moment bringing with it a reminder that Rin was probably in trouble. At first Akira recoiled at the thought, his cautious nature kicking in a bit strongly. Though as time went by, the message haunted him more and more until at last he hesitantly typed out a response, hoping he wasn't too late to help. "You can come whenever you like." A mere two minutes later, his phone buzzed to alert him of a response, once more surprising Akira. Did he really have nothing to do right now? He looked up to check the clock above the T.V, telling him that it was nearly eight in the morning. Rin should be at school right now. Unable to think of anything else to put it off, Akira checked his phone. "Great. I'm on my way to our old spot."

Old spot? Really, Rin expected him to remember some playground or something from ten years ago? The memory hit with the intensity of a car crash. It was a lovely oak tree, full of trees and surrounded by flowers in a nearby park where they had spent countless hours as kids. The moment left, and with a little shake of his head to clear his senses Akira donned his coat once more to walk to the tree. Although he had intended to be wary, he couldn't stop himself from walking a little faster than normal. 'Who wouldn't be excited?' he thought to himself with a little smile, turning a corner and finding the tree dry and bare of leaves. It was like it had fed on their friendship and after so much time away, it had died. Beneath the branches sat Rin in tattered clothes, shivering a bit in the morning chill with his eyes closed.

"R-rin?" The name came unbidden to his lips, and his fingers flew to his mouth as if to stop any more from tumbling out. The boy beneath the tree stirred before his full lashes fluttered apart to reveal beautiful blue eyes darting to find the source of his name. He smiled a bit weakly, though Akira noted with a little smile of his own that he still had the same little habit of smiling more with one side of his mouth than the other giving it the cutest little tilt. What he didn't expect was for Rin to jump to his feet and run quickly over, wrapping his arms tightly around Akira as if he were the single best thing that'd happened all week. In the shock of the moment, Akira was unable to keep his footing and fell backwards so Rin was atop him. A laugh spilled from him as he found himself unable to resist hugging back, feeling a little nostalgic for his childhood again.

"God, I've missed you so much… you have no idea how much I've wanted to see you again." Rin's voice came from where he was buried in Akira's chest like windchimes, melodic and playful. He quickly darted up and pecked Akira's lips before retreating back to his place snuggling Akira's chest. Alarm bells rang in Akira's head as he shoved Rin away, wiping at his mouth and looking at him incredulously. "Uh, Rin? Why…?" He was unable to get out the rest of the sentence, confused and not wanting to even say aloud that he'd just been kissed. Rin only smiled and walked over to the tree to get a bag, which presumably held his possessions.

"Let's go. I'm hungry." He said, slinging it over his shoulder and acting as if nothing happened as he shook his bangs from his eyes. Akira cleared his throat, realizing he was still on the floor and his cheeks were flushed with embarrassment. "O-okay…" it was a miracle he was able to even get out the single word with how fast his heart was beating. Was it okay to trust this guy after so long…? The doubt hung in the air as he walked back the way he had come, waving a hand for Rin to follow. "Let's go." The walk back was silent for Akira, though Rin hummed happily and was almost more bouncing than walking through the chilly weather, looking up at the cloudy skies and seeming almost like the child Akira remembered from ten years past. At last they arrived at the door, and Akira turned to Rin after having rustled up his bravery during the walk. "What was with the kiss?" He asked seriously, raising a curious brow and crossing his arms. Rin smiled wider and crossed his own arms, mocking playfully. "It's a secret. I might tell you later." He said in sing-song. Akira rolled his eyes at this, though he couldn't resist another smile. "I'll get it out of you eventually…" he said as he let Rin in, a little glad he wouldn't be quite so alone from now on