ZEXAL Valentine's Day OneShot

Sequel to A Fallen Angel

Title: You'll Never Be Alone

Kaito Tenjo, Droite, Rio Kamishiro

A/Ns: Y'know, I figured, since it's getting close to Valentine's and all, I might as well write a oneshot for it. Haha. And sure, might as well pull this off at 3 AM lol XD

You feel so lonely and ragged
You lay here broken and naked
My love is
Just waiting
To clothe you in crimson roses

- "Whispers in the Dark," by Skillet

He stood in front of the mirror, running his hands through his hair, trying to get it back to its original appearance. It was tousled and slightly tangled, and he was desperate to hide any signs of what he had been going through for the past few nights. He mentally thanked the lord above that his eyes were no longer red and puffy, even if they were still a bit bloodshot. Tired, achy, and overall emotionally done, he sighed and placed his hands on the counter. The scabs on his wrists, long and slim and red, itched and stung every time he moved his hands or brushed up against something. He had sunk back to hurting himself, hoping to cope with the pain of knowing what he was capable of.

Okay, I hope I can do this today, he thought to himself. Last night had been... rather painful for him, and he was still shaky after it. Wincing again (because the scabbed-over cuts went to midway up his upper arm from his wrist), he drew the sleeves of his grey shirt down his arms, making sure to conceal every cut, and slipped his jacket on. He did the same thing with the jacket, ensuring that nobody saw the injuries.

"Kaito! Hurry up!" Faker called, somewhere outside Kaito's room. The Photon Duelist frowned to himself, adjusting the look on his face to an unhappy scowl. Another sigh escaped him; here he was again, playing the part of someone he really wasn't anymore. He hoped that he could hold the act for just a little longer, until he was completely alone, and then he could end it all.

There were just a few loose ends he had to tie up, first.

"One moment, dad!" He answered back after a moment, wiping his face with one hand before striding out of the bathroom and into his bedroom. Going over to his nightstand, he took out a smaller version of the knife he had, folded the blade into its hilt, and slid it into his boot, figuring he'd need it later after this celebration was over.

He was just fixing the fabric of the boot so the bulge of the knife couldn't be seen when his father came in, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Your friends are waiting for you, Kaito," Faker said, looking at his son suspiciously. "You were in there for a long time. You sure you're okay? You've been distant lately."

"I'm fine, dad, really," Kaito replied, avoiding eye contact. He was certainly a great liar, considering that he'd been able to hide his self-inflicted injuries from everyone, including Orbital. "I was just having troubles with my hair. Common issues."

"I keep telling you that you have to cut it," Faker said while shaking his head and guiding his son out of the room and down a hall. "You're going to resemble a strawberry with that hairstyle."

"For one thing, I already do resemble one," Kaito began drily, "and secondly, there is no way you're cutting my hair again. Last time that happened, my hair was all funky and strange and mom said I looked like a pixie who had just clambered out of his flowery bed."

The man laughed. "I remember that. You'd just gotten out of kindergarten when that happened."

Father and son walked down the hallway, reveling in happy memories. Kaito was saddened, though, at the thought of leaving his family forever. But... He was in so much agony, it was affecting him so greatly that not even Haruto could bring him off this dangerous course he was going down.

And the end was near.

When they entered a lobby, Kaito was mildly taken aback by the sight of all his friends, happily chatting amongst themselves. He could see that Yuuma had brought along everyone he could possibly find, even those two girls (Sei and Sachi, was it...?) that were rarely around. Droite was talking to Rio at a bar-type counter, the former drinking soda while the latter drank apple cider (wait, they even had that here? Since when?). Ryouga was being a shadowy loner in a corner, watching over his sister from afar, which wasn't surprising (ever since the two had lost their Nasch and Merag sides, the twins had been inseparable and Ryouga wasn't taking any chances at losing his sister again). Hell, even Vector, who had completely changed overall to someone who was nice yet a bit of a mastermind at heart, was there, enjoying throwing ice at Gauche and Mizael and anyone else he wanted to piss off (which also include Kaito, although he didn't care, unless it messed with the hair). It was... nice. Normal.

Yuuma rushed over with a big, goofy smile. Faker left to go find his other son while Kaito was pretty much attacked by words practically yelled at him. "Geez, it took you long enough! There is so much food now! And games! And-"

That's when Astral, now in full corporeal being, appeared out of the Key, standing on the ground instead of floating. "Yuuma, I think you'll give him a headache if you yell on about the food and activities."

"I already know what's going on, anyways," Kaito said in reply.

Frowning, Yuuma shook his head at the both of them. "Such party poopers, really!" With that, he turned on his heel and headed back to the food table, practically inhaling anything in sight while Kotori and Astral either tried to get him to stop or just conversed with each other waiting for their idiot friend to stop stuffing his face.

Kaito just looked down at the carpet under his boots. Why were they so nice to him? Didn't they know that he was just going to cause them even more pain than they had gone through seeing him die on the Moon (something he wished had been permanent; curse that damn Numeron Dragon for reviving him). That's all he was good for: hurting the people he knew and cared about.

His eyes grew watery, and he had to turn away and take a deep breath in order to control the trembling of his lower lip. Still, his eyes began to fill with tears, and he hurriedly excused himself from the room, heading down the hall he had come from, deeper into the Tower.

He had another safe haven, something that hadn't been used since the days of finding Number Hunters; it was an old room that trainees used to use to relax and organize their decks. It had a large couch, blackout curtains over the window overlooking a room with a Duel Bot in it (the curtains were always closed, to block out any light coming from anywhere, because the light just made him even more agitated), and a small table. Random trinkets littered the room, since Kaito had put them there in order to make the room more... comforting. He slid inside and shut the door, striding over to the couch and curling up on it.

And then he cried, unable to stop the tears any longer.

Grabbing the knife from his boot, he opened it up, glancing once at the blade before rolling up a sleeve and cutting deep into his arm, crying out, more tears slipping out. He was desperate, desperate to get rid of the emotions he had with physical pain, and he cut harder, just wanting it to end.

"Please, please..." he begged to no one, voice cracking in the pitch black of the room.

Droite had watched Kaito leave the party in a hurry. Rio had, too, and both were worried for him. Ever since they had learned of the harm he'd been inflicting to himself, the two females were awfully curious as to what was going on in the blonde's head. It seemed that, ever since the Numeron Dragon had revived him and brought him back to the arms of his family, his mood had been getting worse and worse. Nobody seemed to understand why. Not even his younger brother and father knew the reason (or reasons- knowing Kaito, this situation probably involved more than just one).

The Butterfly Duelist set her apple cider down on the counter, sighing quietly. "Why do I get the feeling that something is really wrong, here...?" she questioned, more to herself than to Rio, but the younger girl heard.

"Because you care, and you've known him for way longer than I have," the once-Barian answered. "Besides... You have some kind of 'Guardian Angel' sense when it comes to that idiot."

Droite raised and eyebrow at this. "What do you mean by that, Rio?"

The Kamishiro girl waved a finger in the air, pointed toward the ceiling. "It means that you'll go to him in any type of situation, no matter the costs to get there. Right?" At the nod the older duelist gave, Rio continued. "So, even if you two are separated by hundreds, I don't know, maybe even thousands, of kilometers, you'll be able to sense his pain. Get it now?"

Even though Droite already knew this, hearing it from her friend meant a lot to her. Rio was also very fond of Kaito (which was a bit of a surprise and an age stretch- four years, almost five), and Droite knew this well enough to not be too jealous over it (even though she was... which is another topic within itself). So they both knew and cared about Kaito and what he was going through.

"I'll go and find him, then," Droite said after a moment of silence between them. Rio raised a hand to say that she was going with, but the other female shook her head. "No, I should do this on my own. Kaito won't be in a great state of mind, if my theory is right. So... just stay here and monitor to scary look your brother keeps throwing around."

Rio nodded. "I understand, Droite," she answered. "Just bring him back here in a better mood, okay?"

"Sure thing." With that, the black-haired woman went after Kaito, hoping that she could drag him out of whatever agony he was in.

Kaito was nearly all sobbed out and halfway bleeding to death when he finally let the knife drop to the floor. Lightheaded and mind fogged, he drew his legs onto the couch, knees up against his chest, and wrists hanging loosely around his ankles. Face pressed into his knees, he hid himself, even though he was in a room so dark he could barely see.

He really hoped nobody could find him here. He didn't want to be discovered; let him bleed, let him die. But no; the Numeron Dragon would probably come save his sorry ass again, maybe bring him back (no, scratch that- definitely bring him back), and dump him back in this hellish world that was slowly eroding his sanity and soul.

Well, hell, that was already passed the breaking point, wasn't it.

"I knew I'd find you here."

The voice made him nearly jump off the couch and hide. Looking up, he spotted Droite standing in the doorway, light spilling around her and into the room, making her appear like an angel to guard him. She was already doing that, wasn't she. She was, without a doubt, a guardian angel sent down from heaven to help him.

Certainly explained why she sacrificed herself for him.

Clearing his throat and lowering his feet to the floor, he spoke, rather rudely, "Why are you here? I clearly left with the intention of wanting to be alone, so-"

She interrupted him with a glare that made him shut right up. "I can see that, but what's not to be angry about is that I care about your well-being." Walking into the room and lightly closing the door behind her, she went over to him and knelt in front of him. Taking his wrists into her own hands (having to pull a bit hard because his entire body was stiffer than a board), she inspected what damage had been done. "Kaito, I really am concerned about you. You've been getting worse ever since we all were brought back."

Kaito winced as she pushed up his sleeves a little, then began to tug off his jacket in order to see more. "Droite, don't," he growled. "This is something you really shouldn't be concerned about."

"Just shut the hell up and let me take care of you," she snapped, standing and swiftly finding her way to the bathroom, where a first-aid kit was located. She came back after a few moments, and knelt in front of him again. Taking bandages out of the small white and red case, she began wrapping his wrists.

Kaito yanked his arms out of her grip, depression momentarily forgotten, and stood up, some bandages hanging from his arms. "For fuck's sake, Droite, just stop already!" he yelled. "I don't need your concern! So just stop!"

Droite also stood, levelling a look at him, before grabbing his arms (on some freshly new cuts, which hurt extremely horribly) and squeezing, hard, in order to get him to sit back down again. And this time, she kept one hand locked on one of his limbs as she knelt once again, applying some more bandages. This only irritated him further, but he couldn't escape her grip.

Maybe harsh words would get her to leave...? It wasn't like he wanted to hurt her, but he was beyond the point of giving a damn right now.

"Droite, what the hell is wrong with you?" he asked harshly. She wasn't bothered by his tone. "God, to think you'd actually dirty yourself like this? What are you? A worthless wench?"

She then looked up at him (finishing bandaging his arms in the process), eyes narrowed and blank. It was obvious that what he'd said might've affected her, but not by much.

"Seriously, Kaito, even if you want me to leave, I won't," she said, close to monotone but not. There was a hint of exasperation in her tone. "I care too much to leave you to think you're worthless and kill yourself with lies."

The blonde gave up, sighing and slumping forward in defeat. "Why? Why do you keep trying to reach me?" Again, his vocal cords became strict, his voice cracking at the end of the sentence. He allowed his wall to come down, unable to keep it up any longer, and let only a single tear fall from his eyes.

Sensing him becoming distraught, she raised a hand and gently ran the back of her fingers across his cheek, catching the tear. His grey eyes were dull and filled with only sadness, a depression so deep it was even rivaling the period of agony she had gone through years before.

"Kaito," she began, cupping his cheek in order to get him to look at her; the look in his eyes was heart-wrenching for her to see, "Even the toughest of people can become broken and filled with pain by seeing the stuff you have. I know that from personal experience; I have the proof, and you've seen it." She moved her hand a little higher, to slide into the green locks of hair right next to his ear. "You may think you're alone... but you're really not. You have friends... and a family who actually cares. You're not a monster, Kaito; you're you! And I love the person who is on the inside, the one who's strong and kind wrapped in one."

Kaito blinked slowly upon hearing the confession (although he had already known of her affection towards him long before this). But she did have a point... Despite what he had done, he was still the same, the same Tenjou Kaito who had taken care of his brother for all that time, who had enjoyed dueling as a young boy, who had built a robot from spare parts found around the house.

He really wasn't... a monster.

He was... himself.

"I... t... thank you," was all he said, looking down.

She smiled gently at him. "Of course, Kaito." Leaning forward, she gently pressed her lips to his cheek, making him blush slightly (silently, he was thankful that the lights were off; he was practically scarlet right now). Pulling back, she stared at his eyes for a moment, comfortable in the silence between them.

Then she gently kissed him on the lips, pulling him forward just a bit.

Kaito's eyes flew open (almost quite literally), and he nearly retracted from her. Too shocked to really move, he just sat there, feeling the way she pressed her mouth to his, his lips parted slightly, almost able to taste her breath. She smiled, giggling quietly while still in the kiss, and slowly exhaled, filling his lungs with her sweet breath, something that made him respond to her; he pulled her onto the couch, lips still connected, and held her against him, just holding her to feel that she was there.

She was definitely there.

Droite pulled away slowly and smiled. "I knew that might make you feel better."

Kaito frowned. "S-Shut up," he muttered, turning his face away. "But... thank you."

She closed her eyes and smiled wider, tilting her head. "Of course."

Silence followed, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was just right; perfect. He let go of her slowly, but kept her close, not wanting to lose whatever delicate thing had been created in this sad moment between them.

"I really don't want to go back to the party," he said after a moment. "Yuuma's probably throwing food or arguing with someone as we speak."

She nodded. "He was yelling at Gauche when Rio and I last spoke."

"Why does that not surprise me?"

"Because you're friends with both of them."

"But still."

"...Yuuma's an idiot. And so is Gauche. I know this."

"That's an understatement."

"...Oi."

Rio went to check on the progress her friend had made on getting Kaito back to a good mindset. She followed the instructions Droite had sent, something to check on her and Kaito, just to make sure nothing bad had happened.

Well, to say the least, nothing bad had happened. Something good had, instead.

Rio stopped in front of the door, pushing it open just enough to look inside. She saw Droite and Kaito curled up on the couch inside, the blonde laying down with the Butterfly Duelist next to him, head on his chest. They were talking, although Rio couldn't tell what their conversation was about. Every now and then, the two would look at each other and quickly steal a kiss from the other.

It was adorable.

Rio shut the door and turned around, heading back to the party, smiling and happy for her two friends.

A/Ns: Dear god, I wasn't expecting this thing to be so longgggg. I've been working on it longer than I have with the prequel to it (lol). So anyway, I hope you like it! I did my best this time XD

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