Just a little one-shot I wrote about Ryuga and Ryuto to keep my school stress for a moment. Enjoy.

Warning: Contains description of child abuse, slight gore.

Disclaimers: I do not own any characters here.

"You useless pest!"

Cold hand slapped across young Ryuga's face, leaving a red mark on his bruised cheek. The boy did not make any sound and stayed motionless, his amber eyes showing no emotion. The woman, who looked nothing like Ryuga or his trembling little brother, growled and pushed the young boy, making him slam into the kitchen counter. Ryuga groaned and tried to get up but the woman repeatedly stepped and kicked on his fragile body adding bruises one by one. In the corner of the kitchen, Ryuto watched his brother getting abused with tear flowing from his eyes and trembling. He wanted to stop her and run away to somewhere safe, some place where they could relax and not worry about the step-mother's abuses. But he couldn't do so, he was too afraid.

"Every time I look at you two, it makes me sick! Those freaky eyes, unusual hair color! Why was I left with you two?!"

Her kicks got stronger and stronger each time. Even Ryuga couldn't handle it and whimpered quietly, faint enough so that only he himself could hear it. After what seemed like hours, the step-mother stopped kicking, breathing heavily. Ryuga groaned loudly and sat up, his body shaking. The woman, still not satisfied, roughly grabbed Ryuga's snow white hair and dragged him across the floor and up the stairs. Ryuga's face and chin were repeatedly hit by the stairs, causing weak parts of his skin to bleed slightly. He was dragged into the bathroom and the door slammed shut, muffling the sounds from the room. What the woman did to Ryuga in the bathroom was indescribable.

Ryuga hissed as Ryuto applied the cheap ointment that they managed to sneak in to their room while the stepmother was deeply asleep after having a party with her friends. When he was done, Ryuto started to sob quietly, clinging onto his brother. Ryuga sighed and patted his back softly and reassuringly. The abuses were far too much for young Ryuto, and Ryuga volunteered to get punished every time Ryuto was about to. The so-called step-mother didn't care who was punished, she just needed someone to reveal her sadistic side and relieve her stress.

"Nii-chan... Nii-chan... I'm so sorry... I-I'm really sorry... That I'm too weak..."

Ryuto sobbed, his tears crating a waterfall around the two brothers. Ryuga just patted his back without saying anything, but Ryuto exactly knew how he felt without any words. He had no idea how, but the way that Ryuga patted him, the way that Ryuga's heart thumped, Ryuto just knew what Ryuga was trying to say.

"I-I promise to get stronger..."

"You don't have to."

"But I will... I want to protect you, nii-chan..."

Ryuto spoke softly, before closing his eyes and falling asleep. Ryuga knew that his step-mother would call one of them down to do unbelievable amount of chores and most likely punish him again, but his eyes kept on closing. I have to stay up, he thought. But he still couldn't resist the urge of sleeping, eventually closing his amber eyes as well.

(Ryuga's P.O.V)

I woke to a scream, startled by it. I remembered that I had fallen asleep with Ryuto, but he was gone from my embrace. I quickly got up and ran down the stairs hurriedly, not minding the pain in my legs that coursed through my body from the torture in the bathroom. I abruptly stopped at the bottom of the stairs, panting slightly. I didn't see Ryuto himself in the living room, or any signs of him. No noise was made either so I had to search the whole house. I ran and ran, although my legs throbbed in pain. I searched the bathroom, the kitchen, the yard and even her room but no Ryuto. The last place left was the basement, which I hesitated to go in for a moment. That room was a torture chamber, filled with weird tools she made and would use to torture us from time to time. I ran in though, and I stopped when I saw someone, curled into a ball, stomach bleeding heavily.

"R-Ryuto...?"

His skin was covered in bruises and cuts, and his stomach had a huge gash in the middle. The demon stood next to him, holding a sharp and bloody knife. She turned to me, her eyes wilder than usual and her hair in a mess. She had stabbed him while I was sleeping. She had stabbed the only person I was protecting with my life.

SHE HAD HURT RYUTO.

Something in me snapped then, and all became a fast blur. Me grabbing a knife nearby. Pinning the mad woman down. Striking her heart. That was the last thing I saw before I came to my senses. Blood splattered all over, tainting my body. The demon was dead, dead for good. I stood up, my arms shaking. I had done it. I did what I never dreamed of doing before.

"R-Ryuto... I did it... I actually killed her... Ryu... Ryuto?"

Then I realized that Ryuto was in no condition to speak. I ran over to him and saw that the gash was deeper than I thought, and blood was oozing out of it fast. His body trembled and his breathing was faint, which made me panic slightly. I took my shirt off and wrapped it around the gash, just to stop the blood from coming out. Ryuto moaned in pain and twisted his body, his breathing getting softer and softer. The only way to make him live was the hospital, which I needed to get to fast. I picked my brother up and ran, up the stairs and out the door. The freezing wind numbed my bare top, but I refused to go back. Ryuto was the only family I had and I needed him to live and be with me. I needed him to smile and laugh with me.

"Excuse me, little boy."

"Huh?"

I turned my head to see a tall, pale man, wearing a purple suit. His hair was strange, brown with a thick strand of blonde. He looked down at me and my brother, who was gasping for air. He smiled, and crouched down to my size. I immediately backed up, growling threateningly. However, he kept his smile, trying to loosen my intimidation.

"You need to go to the hospital?"

"I-I can get there on my own!"

"He'll die on the way... If you promise to come with me, I ensure that he'll live and grow healthy."

"... Really?"

"Yes."

I knew that following strangers was a stupid thing and that man was a stranger. But I needed to make Ryuto live, and grow healthy like he said. I nodded up at the man, and he smiled again. He lead us to a khaki-colored car, which dashed off after he and I were in.

And I was an idiot back then. For some reason, I thought that he would act as a father we lost years ago, and his wife would act as our mother who I don't remember anymore. I thought we would live a happy life, free of abuses, pain, torture and wounds. I thought that Ryuto and I would be together forever, not leaving each other's side ever again.

I thought my misery was over.

Ryuga and Ryuto's past was one of my all-time fav. topic to imagine! The best is... Kukukukukukuku.. :) Those who know me well will probably know what I'm thinking about :3

I hope you enjoyed this one-shot, although it was weird at the end... But I got stuck and that was the best I could pull off. Stupid writer's block..