Kise walked down the street, a happy jump in his step, hands in his pockets and the odd feeling that he was being watched. Which came as no surprise considering he was undoubtedly the best looking person on the street, in his own opinion of course. The model he was meeting today turned the tides in his own favour, a veteran in the field, and Kise was going to milk him for everything he had as he worked with him during the week long shoot.

He stopped and waved above the heads of the crowd as he caught sight of his mentor, excitement churned within him, making him nervous and exhilarated all at once. He was finally going to step into his world. If he gained his approval here, if Kaede-san gave him a good review after today, he'd have the groundwork he needed to make it into the industry and finally become a full time model.

Kaede-san waved back at him a smile and leaned back against the old brick wall behind him as if posing for a shoot as Kise hurried over to him through the crowd.

"Kaede-san, it's great that we could do this! I'm really looking forward to today. You look good. I'm so excited for the shoot as well, I can't wait to work with you!"

"The young ones never can." Kaede-san sighed; Kise felt the disdain in Kaede's remark and recoiled slightly from his space. The cold attitude of the older model striking him with an unexpected pang of genuine hurt. Kise rubbed the back of his hair sheepishly with a nervous laugh, a habit he'd picked up in his second year of junior high as Akashi continually treated him like a half baked idiot.

"Sorry, am I being a bother? We can do this another time if it's an inconvenience to you… or… or not at all, if that suits you…" Kise said, his disappointment tangible in the air. Kaede raised his eyebrows in disbelief at Kise's sudden change in behaviour and quickly waved him off to placate his worries.

"No, no. It's alright. Today is fine for me; I'm the one who should be apologising. It was rude of me to speak to you like that. I've just met a lot of newbie's over the years that suck up to try and up their status. Forgive me for assuming you were the same." Kaede inclined his head slightly toward Kise who watched in shock. Kaede was famous for being a little prickly at times, granted he hadn't expected to be on the receiving end of that prickliness so soon but having his role model bow his head to him was something he never expected to experience.

"Ahhaha. Don't worry. It's fine Kaede-san. I don't think I'm any different from the others like me. I was counting on a comment on me from you to help push my career along a bit."

"That's to be expected."

"Ah, mm. So, um, what are we doing today?–"

#

Akashi strode purposely down the street; mind on one goal only as he concealed a pair a scissors up his left sleeve. He would not be disobeyed by anyone. No matter the circumstance of that person, regardless of prior plans or sudden happenstances. If he called, he expected to be met on the day he chose.

Kise wasn't hard to find. A tall blonde model with a loud and very distinctive voice was hard to miss amongst the smaller black haired, mostly quiet crowd. Their feet pounding on the ground the loudest sound on the street.

Akashi walked; back straight and head held high in a place Ryouta couldn't see as he approached. Adjusting his grip on his scissors Akashi tripped forward and slammed into the nuisance, shoving him onto his companion. He muttered an apology and turned away, disappearing into the crowd as best he could to a weak muttering of his name.

#

Kise was suddenly shoved forward onto Kaede, cutting off his words as a throbbing pain built up in his side. His knees felt weak and vaguely he could hear Kaede-san asking him if he's alright.

His side burned and he turned to his head against Kaede's chest and looked into the crowd, he spotted the retreating bright red head of his former captain and recalled the phone call from the day before.

/\

"Sorry Akashichi, but I have something on tomorrow. It's for work so I really can't miss it."

"Ryouta, I expect you to be at our meeting place tomorrow at the specified time of arrival. No excuses."

"Akashichi! I can't I-"

"That is all." His dial tone sounded as Akashi hung up on him. Kise sighed and chucked his phone onto his desk. He really couldn't make it tomorrow; Akashi would just have to deal with it.

\/

"Akashi?" Kise sagged against Kaede his vision blurring around the edges as he was lowered to the ground by strong arms. Voices, or was it just one? called out to him. Panic bleeding in their tone at his expense.

"Kise-kun!.. Kise-kun can you here me?!" Something was touching his face. "Oi Kise-kun!"

The voice tapered off, as the sky grew black, fading in and out of his mind as a deep coldness settled in. Reach into his flesh and clamping home around his bones.

"Don't just watch!.."

The yell broke through the foggy haze in his head.

". Call an ambulance!"

'Ambulance? Why?'

His side flared up one more time before his mind blacked out and his body fell slack. Facial features relaxed from scrunched up pain as he bled out on to the pavement. Crimson spread into his clothes and pooled beneath his body as Kaede pressed his own vest onto the wound to try and stop the flow. His bleeding slowed to a sluggish seep as his heart stopped beating. He took his last shallow breath as Kaede-san fell back against the old brick wall, dripping hands out over his knees as his head hung and he tried to control his breath.

There was no experience like that of watching a young one die.