"You can't make me do this."

"No one is going to make you do anything."

"Okay, so this conversation is over."

"Rin." Nakamura sighed, walking over to the chair across from the youth. "We can't ignore this."

"You said that you weren't going to make me do this."

"I know I did but-"

"Then stop trying to convince me."

"Okay." Nakamura held his hands up in defeat as he collapsed back into his cushioned seat. "I lied to you. I am absolutely trying to make you do this."

"I already knew that." Rin seethed, folding his arms. "I don't want to, so I won't."

His adviser groaned, covering his eyes. "Rin, I'm so sorry, but you have to."

"No."

"If you have any intent to save this business-"

Rin turned to face his adviser. "When did saving the business become my job? Isn't that what my mother is supposed to be doing? This shouldn't be on me."

"I know that it shouldn't, but it is." Nakamura shook his head.

"You clearly can't understand what I'm saying." Rin leaned forward, staring at the very distraught adviser. "I'm not going to throw half of my life away for some company that I don't have anything to do with."

"Seeing as you will be the next to run said company, yes, you do have something to do with it."

"Stop trying." Rin hissed, kicking his legs up over the armrest of his chair. "You aren't going to change my mind, sorry."

"And what do you suggest we do about it Rin? Huh?"

"Well for one, we should probably have someone else next in line to run the business."

The adviser crossed his arms. "No, we can't do that. For one – you are the most qualified to do the job."

"Then pick the second most qualified."

"And, you know that your father specifically requested you to take over once you were of age."

"Maybe we should change that."

"Your mother," Nakamura rolled his eyes. "Would not even hear the beginning of that. She loved her husband too much."

"Well what about Gou?" Rin looked over to his adviser. "She's just as much his kid as I am."

Something in Rin's words rustled Nakamura's aura. "I will say again – your father picked you because you are the most qualified for the job. This is not just because you're his child."

"Then we can train her! Besides, won't it be easier through her? She's got a boyfriend."

"Oh, of course." Nakamura nodded eagerly. "Let's force her to skip through the beginnings of whatever relationship she has now, and push her into a marriage to someone who she isn't even sure she likes yet. That's a real plan!"

"In the place of me never having the chance to meet someone that I might like? It seems like a fair trade."

Nakamura shrugged. "Besides, even if we did do something that terrible," He shot a nasty glare at Rin. "Again, the issue of her not inheriting the business. Not to mention, this marriage is meant to benefit us. The Mikoshiba family – while very pleasant – would not do us much good."

Rin groaned.

'Please – try to think of it as a business move."

"You can't convince me, Nakamura."

"I am trying very hard not to be very angry with you right now."

"It's my life, so I will make my own choices."

"See, that's the thing!" Nakamura pinched the bridge of his nose, groaning. "It's not just your life – there's a lot of people's lives we're dealing with."

"And theirs are more important than mine?"

"Are you suggesting that yours is more important than theirs?"

"Well, from the perspective of someone with my personality type-"

"That's just it, Rin. Nobody cares! I don't care about that at all! Why? Because it doesn't matter." Nakamura flipped his head back, tapping his fingers on the armrest. "I am trying very, very hard not to be very angry with you."

"You seem upset."

"You aren't even listening to me."

"I'm kind of bored with this talk."

"You physically do not understand how serious this matter is."

Rin shrugged, staring at the ceiling. "I guess not. Maybe I'd care more if I did."

"That's it." Nakamura stood up, towering over Rin. He was trying his best to not look threatening, but he was very, very angry, and his dark hair and the bags under his eyes which were too prevalent for someone his age made him look less than endearing.

"Very scary." Rin feigned fear as he closed his eyes.

"Rin – Rin look at me."

He did not.

"Do you have to be so complicated all the damn time?"

"It's funny because I've always been like this – and you'd still marry me off to someone."

"Rin, I have let you off of so many things – look at me."

Rin did not.

Nakamura grabbed the collar of Rin's shirt, snatching his upper body upwards. "I have let you off of so many things - look at me."

Rin finally opened his eyes, and he looked less than happy.

"But this is the one thing I will not let you be selfish about."

Rin wasn't really surprised about the selfish thing. He knew he had his own characters faults. What kind of threw him off was that this was the one thing. What was that about?

"The one thing?" Rin asked, lowering his brows. "I'm not -"

"Yes, you are. You are excruciatingly self centered. I am so sorry that you have not realised it yet. But now? Now you've got to get over that." Nakamura released the younger boy, sighing as he backed away from him. "You've got to, Rin."

"I don't think you get it." Rin tossed his legs again, finally facing his adviser head on. "Does it seem right in your head to force me to marry a stranger? It's just not computing in mine, I guess."

"No, it doesn't seem right, but it's our best chance." Nakamura sagged a bit. "We're all taking a leap of faith here, Rin. I'm sorry that we have to ask you to jump the furthest."

"It isn't selfish of me to not want this!" Rin sneered. "I'm trying to help myself, okay? I'm not trying to ruin anyone else – I just don't want to ruin myself."

"I get it." Nakamura slouched back into his chair, staring into his lap. "But think about all the people -"

"But why me?"

"Because you are our only option!" Nakamura shouted. He paused, breathing for a second to gather himself. He closed his eyes. "I know you don't think you're being selfish, but consider the things you've said to me in just the last five minutes."

"What?" Rin narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"You just don't want to ruin yourself?" Nakamura's nose twitched, as he kept his eyes nailed shut. "You'd rather your mother go against her morals, and completely ignore one of the last things she has left from your father? Instead of marrying someone – you'd throw your own sister's potential future under the bus to save your own hide?"

"Don't make it sound so-"

"I am not making it sound like anything. I am saying openly what you thought you had hidden." Nakamura leaned his face into his hands, finally exhausted. "You are a good guy, Rin, I know you are. But please think about who you're helping. Your mother, your sister, every single person who works for this company has someone to take care of."

"I know but -"

"Whatever choice you make when you leave this room will determine the future of every single one of them."

Rin remained silent, staring past Nakamura's head.

"I never said it would be easy." Nakamura finally looked up, sighing as he rested his elbows on his legs. "But this is the reality right now, and I absolutely cannot let you weasel your way out of it."

Not a word.

"Rin, I am so sorry." Nakamura shook his head, closing his eyes again. "But please, you have to listen, just this once."

"Chiaki." Rin eased the man's given name out of his mouth, leaning onto his elbow. "I know, okay, I get it."

"Come on, talk to me."

Rin pulled his legs up into the chair, crossing his arms as if to block out a chill. "Really? I just don't think I'm ready for this, alright? I don't know if I know how to make choices like this yet."

Nakamura groaned, mimicking Rin's posture. "You're so young, I know."

"I mean, really! Try to put yourself in my shoes here, right? I don't know what I'm doing." Rin suddenly began to emote, almost begging now. "I can't do this yet."

"Is that what you want me to tell them?"

He didn't mean it to be threatening, obviously. Nakamura really hadn't been trying to force him into any certain path of thinking. But he needed an answer, and he needed it soon, and it essentially came down to what Rin wanted him to say. He would tell them whatever he wanted him to, but he had to know.

"You're supposed to be my adviser, aren't you?" Rin pouted. "Come on, advise me."

"Rin, I-"

"Just tell me what to do already!"

But Nakamura just shook his head, finally locking eyes with the boy. "You have to make your own decisions."

"But now you – you put all these things in my head." Rin ran a hand through his hair. "If I just worry about myself then-"

Nakamura stopped him there. "I don't want you to make choices without thinking about all of the factors." He finally bothered to smile. "I'm everyone's adviser, not just yours."

Rin leaned back, pulling his legs closer to his chest. "It'd be bad of me to just think about myself, right?"

And Nakamura laughed at the question. "Whatever choice you make, it's a double edged sword either way. You have to decide who's gonna take the blow."

"Yeah." Rin nodded, pausing for a second. At last, he nodded.

"What?"

Rin felt bad, because he could hardly bring himself to say it. He had come to the conclusion that agreeing was the right thing to do – but still, he couldn't agree with his own ideas.

Finally, he managed to whisper.

"I'll do it."