Tai: I couldn't help myself, I got bored at work and although I should've found something to do, my mind began to wander and think about dear Kazuki, how he seems to be so alone...so this came into fruition.

Let it be known that there's much, much more to this story. Oh yes, this is merely chapter one.

Disclaimer: Don't own, get over it.

Letting out a groan of disappointment, a longhaired brunette rolled over and curled into a ball, wrapping two slender arms around a slim waist. 'Why does this hurt so much?' he wondered, clenching his deep amber eyes closed in pain. It wasn't a physical pain, some injury that was yet to heal. It was something no one could see that hurt much more, a pain Kazuki was sure was killing him slowly. Every day he went into the city made it worse, but still he went, it was the only thing he still had.

The pain of it all made him know he was still alive, and allowed him to hold out some hope that one day he'd find someone who cared for him, for a reason deeper than just he looks or talents. He needed someone who would hold him close and run their fingers across his back, through his hair, caress his body lovingly. Someone who cared for no one else in such a way, such a tender way, but he knew he wouldn't find them.

Anyone who cared for him deeply seemed to disappear, in one way or another. His family had disappeared from being physically around him when he was young, taken by the fire. Ginji had left the limitless fortress under his own free will, and it was clear he did not want to be followed by any of the four Kings, a message felt loudly by the Threadmaster.

So there he was, curled into the foetal position on his bed, near the top of the limitless fortress, revelling in the agony of his life. He didn't chose to be alone, he was forced into the state, and now his only friends were his bells, but even their ring seemed to mock him.

'Maybe…maybe that's what other people see me as.' He thought, looking at the brass instrument in his hand. 'Beautiful on the outside, deadly on the inside, and the ringing grows to be an annoyance over time.' He let out a sigh, allowing his hair free from its bindings and fall around him gracefully. He looked gently at the long strands, running his fingers through the silkiness.

His mind began to wander and he moved to stand in front of his mirror, glancing at his reflection. What he saw deepened his already down mood. He looked more feminine than ever; a physical trait his parents believed would disappear with time. It still hadn't, leading to many, many misjudgements of his gender and just as many broken hearts.

He hated his appearance, his slender frame that didn't disappear no matter what he did, his porcelain skin that never blemished or scared even in the roughest battles. Hair that grew faster than he could cut it and it was always silky, almost completely knotless every time. Dirt seemed allergic to him, while comrades would be covered in more filth than the area around them, he would remain spotless.

It drove him insane.

As he scrutinised his appearance, he caught sight of the look on his own face, making hate it more. "What are you staring at?" he snarled at his reflection, his anger rising past any point it had ever reached. Clenching his fists tightly, he slammed one into the reflective surface, sending cracks throughout it. His knuckles bled lightly, but he barely felt the sting as he punched it again, making several pieces shatter to the ground.

He wanted freedom from his pain, but no one would grant him that simple need, no one. And to the Fuuchouin heir, it meant no one cared for him - not as a friend, as a companion, as an acquaintance, no one cared at all. Kneeling to the ground, he picked up one of the bigger pieces of glass, ignoring the edge that dug into his fingers and palm as he raised it to his other wrist with intent, crystalline tears welling up in his eyes.

"Kazuki, everything all right?" a strong voice called from the opposite side of his door, a sound that made the young male freeze. "Shido…" he whispered, not moving from his place on the floor. The Beastmaster heard him however, his voice laced with sadness and disappointment but hiding what he was planning.

The door swung gracefully open and a taller, more muscular male stepped through, his boots crushing some of the pieces of glass on the ground. His gaze shifted from the bed to the floor at the noise, making him gasp slightly. In an instant his larger hands wrapped around the thin wrists, separating them with more force than probably necessary. The piece of glass clattered to the ground and silence ensued, Kazuki's head still focused down on his hands while Shido scrutinised the other.

"Look at me." The Beastmaster commanded, his gaze fixed on the downward turned head before him. "Look at me!" he snarled again, enraged by the fact he was ignored. Still the Stringmaster made no move, and the spiky-haired male let out a growl, capturing both wrists in one hand and forcing the chin of his companion up.

The sparkling tears built up in Kazuki's eyes made Shido's own dark ones widen, the depressed expression almost heartbreaking to see. "Kazuki…"