Holy shoot! I almost missed a day! (Technically I did, but IT'S ONLY THE NEXT DAY WHEN I GO TO SLEEP SO HA IT'S STILL YESTERDAY FOR ME) Anyway, Day 4 of the 30 Day Challenge. I may have fricked this up due to deadlines and whatnot. I finished this at around midnight or so. XD

This drabble is of Disqualifyshipping (Shark x IV). The prompt is "Accusation."

"Be back before the sun goes down. I have things for you to do when you get back, IV."

Yeah, whatever. As long as IV got to be alone for some time, away from his brothers and his father. They weren't even his family anymore, really. He wouldn't dare consider them that, when they used to be closer together and a lot happier. Ever since his father's disappearance and reappearance, his entire life had turned upside down. He went from being a happy child to a miserable adult, and almost everything he did was a mistake, or ended up being catastrophic in some sense.

Hell, it was thanks to an incident recently that he almost lost his right eye. The reason why he was heading out in the first place was so that he could get his bandages replaced (since they have nothing of the like at home).

Also, that same incident put a girl in the hospital.

He didn't quite know who she was. Kamishiro, that's all he remembered. She was a really pretty girl, he recalled. He remembered dueling her, and somehow, something went awry and resulted in a huge fire that injured the both of them. He was fine compared to her, who was covered almost head to toe in burns. All he lost was maybe his eye.

Even though his face hurt like hell, it was nothing in comparison to her injuries. He deserved a lot more, too.

He didn't know what possessed him to gather up the courage to visit her in the hospital, but the next thing he knew, he was standing outside her room, forehead pressed against the door. His heart was pounding. He didn't know what to expect when he walked in. Would she scream for help? Would she forgive him? What would she do? His stomach was doing flips, and he grabbed onto the doorknob, slowly turning it and walking inside.

There was a boy sitting on a chair, watching over the girl with a somber look on his face. At the sound of the door opening, his head lifted and he turned to look IV in the eye. He was just as beautiful as his sister, with his violet hair and crystal blue eyes... IV wasn't able to stop staring. Despite that, he could still say something to him. "Hey there."

The boy looked IV over, apparently not as fascinated with him as he was to the other. "Who are you?"

"Thomas Arclight," IV answered, closing the door behind him. "And you?"

The purple haired boy glanced at his eye wound, staring at it for a while. "Ryoga Kamishiro. How do you know Rio?"

Rio. That's what her name was. IV flashed him a smile. "I'm a friend of hers. I heard she got hurt in a fire and came to visit her. Are you her brother?"

Ryoga nodded slowly, seemingly buying his small lie and turning back to watch Rio. "Yeah."

"What exactly happened to her?"

He shrugged, slumping back in the chair and twiddling his thumbs. "I have no idea. The only thing I heard was that she was admitted into the hospital after being rescued from a fire." He turned to IV, eyes slightly narrowed. "You wouldn't happen to know anything more about this, do you?"

Yes. He did. He knew it all. It was all his fault she was in here. It was his fault that she was hurt so badly, and that he might lose his eye. He bit his tongue and shook his head.

"Really, now."

IV smirked. "You act like I had something to do with this."

Ryoga's frown deepened. "I have my suspicions."

"Oh?" IV walked over and found another chair to sit on, folding his legs and crossing his arms over his chest. "Tell me."

"What happened to your eye?"

IV had a feeling he would mention that. He shrugged. "Freak accident at home, that's all."

There was a hint of a smile on the Kamishiro boy's lips. "And what was this accident?"

"Don't be nosy, boy," IV snapped. "My personal life is none of your business."

"Fine then." Ryoga gazed back down on his hands. "But until you convince me otherwise, I'm still going to think you're involved with what happened to my sister."

IV arched an eyebrow, pressing his lips in a fine line. "Are you accusing me of being the one to hurt Rio?"

"Not necessarily. I just think you know something and are trying to hide it from me."

"I told you, it was a freak accident." IV glared at him. "What happened to my eye and your sister's accident are two totally different things."

"I sure hope so, or I won't be too happy with you," Ryoga muttered flatly.

The room then grew silent, safe for the small ticking of a clock at the far en of the room. The sun was slowly descending, the glow of a sunset leaking through the window and coloring the room orange. It was already pretty late, but IV didn't want to leave. This kid was annoying as hell, and his being here stopped him from apologizing to Rio, but it sure beat returning home. He glanced at the clock. 18:45. He still had some time.

"You won't be here for much longer, will you?" The boy asked suddenly, snapping IV out of his thoughts. "I was hoping to have the whole day to myself without any other visitors trying to see her."

IV chuckled. "You sound so possessive over your sister. That's so cute." His grin widened when Ryoga tossed him a dirty look. "Listen, you're not the only one who's upset she's here and in the condition she's in."

"I've never seen you before in my life," Ryoga said lowly, glaring at him. "You're a really suspicious person."

IV shrugged. "Whatever, think what you want. I didn't do it."

Ryoga sighed in exasperation, tiredly running his fingers through his hair. He reached over and took Rio's hand in his, holding onto it tightly. IV watched in silence, his smile fading away. There was something reminiscent about Ryoga's treatment to her that made it nearly painful to watch. He was so kind to her, so loving, so caring, and so concerned... everything that IV's brothers and father weren't. Not anymore.

Damn it. Everything was his fault.

"... Hey, Thomas."

IV looked over at him, noting the absence of an expression on his face. "What?"

Ryoga sat back in the chair. "I don't know if I could trust you or not with your whole story, but thanks for coming to see my sister."

A thanks? From Ryoga? His smile partially returned. "Of course I'd come see her. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?"

"Don't think I'm the one who's grateful to you, though," Ryoga muttered, releasing Rio's hand and sitting back. "I'm thanking you on her behalf. She would have said something if she could, not me."

What a jerk. IV chuckled. "Gotcha." He glanced back up at the clock. 18:56. He definitely had to leave now before the sun completely set. He stood from his chair and brushed his back side, heading for the door. "Well, it's late, and I came here too soon to it getting dark outside. I'm leaving now."

Ryoga nodded, not giving him another look. "Don't come back tomorrow."

IV rolled his eyes. "Still thinking I'm the culprit?"

"I don't know, but I want my sister all to myself tomorrow." Ryoga folded his legs. "You can see her some other time."

"Whatever. See you, then," IV waved to him, exiting out the door and closing it behind him. He walked to the elevator, head slightly lowered so none of the doctors in the area would spot the bandages on his face.

The day was almost over. Thank God. Ryoga's accusation of IV putting Rio in the hospital was driving him mad, but only because they both knew it was true. It's only a matter of time before he finds that out, too.