A.N.: Dear Sweet Jesus, I managed the impossible. I actually gave people incentive to hate Matsuda. Really? Matsuda, you guys? You're really gonna gun on the guy who was basically traumitized by the end of the anime? O.o;;; You want to know the sad thing? He's probably the least villanious person in this damn story. If this is any example, I have a feeling I am going to inspire deep feelings of hatred for all the real assholes in this story if one thought managed to spurn all that anger. Lol! I love drama. XD Many thanks to Kitsune55 for beta-ing! The shackles of school shall not hold us down, people! At least not today. ((sweat drops))
Title: For Every Action
Chapter Ten: In All its Glory
"Akira-kun?"
The bleary-eyed raven-haired boy blinked as he pulled his head off the warm pillow below him, still in an exhaustive daze from the day before. A cool digit poked him in the forehead, causing him to blink once more.
"Akira-kun is extremely fatigued." The familiar baritone chided beside him, not even flinching as the 16-year-old buried himself within his embrace once again, too tired to know better.
"Ngh…" Was Akira's only response as he closed his eyes once more.
The onyx-eyed man rolled his eyes as he enclosed his arms around the boy, knowing that trying to wake Akira up at this point was a moot point.
Instead, Ryo took this time to gaze down at the boy without the restraint of having Akira back away in embarrassment or anger. The teacher took in the messy blonde and ebony locks scattered around the teen's face in a disarray, leading down to an androgynously beautiful face full of bruises along with nicks and cuts that would take some time to heal.
Asleep like this, his face full of innocence and tranquility, you would never know that this one boy was plagued by so much…
Resolution made, Ryo leaned back against the cushions of the couch and closed his own eyes, not noticing the sounds of the TV from the slumbering boy's room come to an end as the sounds of pattering feet took its place.
A small ball of warmth tucked itself in beside Ryo as he drifted off to sleep, thinking of the series of events waiting to be revealed in the following day.
Smoke hazed the young woman's vision as she stared up at the stars, the open window her only connection to the outside world for the moment.
"Megumi?"
Bright green eyes glistened as she threw her cigarette out the window and strolled away from the cool breeze and metropolitan scenery covered in a blanket of darkness and twinkling lights. Crimson red eyes traced her figure as she kept her stride and passed the immaculate man standing in almost a statuesque manner in the middle of the completely white room.
"You seem distant tonight."
Grabbing the door handle in front of her, Megumi smirked sardonically as the man perused her figure once more.
"Do I?"
"Is something bothering you, Megumi?" Thoughts of a certain blonde-and-ebony-haired boy caused the woman to almost flinch, but the short-haired woman kept it in magnificently. Keeping in her anxiety, Megumi spun around, giving the man her most brilliantly deceptive smile.
"Of course not. I suppose I'm just tired." Tired of you and what you've done to me.
"Really?"
"Why would I lie?" You've turned me into a liar. A cruel, horrible liar who doesn't even know what the truth is anymore.
"Well then, I suppose that we should proceed with the next phase of our plan. Bring the boy in tomorrow night."
"I'll be sure to do that." You're going to infect him just like you infected me. You're going to kill my son in the worst of ways…
"Very good."
"May I take my leave?" Kosei… you'd hate me all over again for this.
"Yes."
"Thank you, sir." Almost…
Megumi turned the knob, quickly leaving the room, not having to see the smirk on the man's face to know it was there.
Almost as much as I hate myself.
'I need a drink…' The young woman thought to herself as she entered another room, the faint ringing of bells hanging heavily in the back of her mind…
"Matsuda-san!"
Matsuda smiled as he turned around, the image of an absolutely frazzled Miyanaga Kosei meeting his sights.
"Yes, Miyanaga-san?"
"What are we doing here, sir?" The honestly perplexed azure gaze almost made the older detective grin all the more, but he held himself at his general stoic persona.
He had long ago shed the need to be so perky about little things such as this.
"This is your first assignment." Dark brown eyes turned back at the building they were scouting, taking in each person that entered and exited it with a careful eye.
Kosei nodded, shoving his hands within his pockets as he caught up with the older man as inconspicuously as possible. "Isn't this one of the…?"
"Yes." Matsuda stated simply, nodding his head into the building before dragging the younger man in side. "You said you wanted in, didn't you? Well, I think you should be careful what you wish for."
The blue-eyed man's jaw clenched as he nodded before shrugging off the older investigator and making his way inside himself.
He knew what he had to do.
A small kitten-like yawn echoed within the living room as one Miyanaga Miko awoke, only to find herself tangled within her brother's messy embrace. After thinking back on the night before, Miko blinked, quite sure she felt a disturbance in the force.
The pancake force, of course.
The sizzling hum erupting from the kitchen alerted her of someone else's presence within their home, but she couldn't really bring herself to care if they continued to make pancakes that smelt so delicious…
"Miko-chan?"
Charcoal locks swayed as Miko moved her head off her brother's stomach and looked over her shoulder. Ryo tilted his head to the side as the girl's large sepia eyes blinked once more, before a wide smile covered her face.
"Ryo-kun!"
Turning down the heat of the stove, Ryo moved his way around the island in the middle of the kitchen and exited the open passage leading to the living room, not being fully prepared for the assault to come.
"Oomph!"
An armful of bountiful energy and dark strands of hair came rushing at the teacher, causing him to stumble in his stride.
"You stayed!" Miko cried out, turning her sights up to the older man within her grasp. "You actually stayed!"
"What did Miko-chan expect me to do?" Ryo patted the girl's head as he glanced over at Akira's still unconscious form. "I would not allow Akira-kun to simply brush me off at a time like this."
The cute eight-year-old blushed as she let the lanky man go, bouncing on the back of her heels as the 23-year-old continued his purposeful gait towards the only prone person in the room. "Akira-kun always makes people go away. Especially when they find out about our okaa-san…"
Miko turned her gaze down to the carpet, the faint feeling of shame crawling up her spine as she attempted to hide her gaze away from Ryo's now methodical one.
"He's going to be mad at me when he wakes up, huh?" Tiny bare feet scuffed the carpeting below them, the forlorn look on her face amplified by the blush now receding from the small girl's cheeks. "Akira-kun always said to never tell anyone about what 'kaa-san does to us, especially when he's the one that get's hurt the most."
"In this case, there is no one who is hurt the most or least. Telling me was the best thing you could have done, Miko-chan." Ryo stated, his voice smooth without any of the hitches of uncertainty he now felt. "What the both of you need is protection from someone who wishes to harm you in such a way. I am quite sure that Akira-kun will not be angered by what you have said to me."
"Thank you, Ryo-kun." Miko stated after a moment of silence, eyes glistening with what could have been relief.
"There is nothing to thank me for, Miko-chan. I am merely doing what I feel is right." Ryo continued onward as Miko grinned before skipping off into the kitchen, ready for some quality time between herself and those scrumptious pancakes calling her name.
Once again, Ryo had a chance to analyze the boy's countenance within his slumber. Body angled in a crooked manner, the teenager actually managed to look as peaceful as ever. Eyelids began to flutter as the weight of Ryo's gaze began to settle over the now-healing 16-year-old's consciousness. Kneeling down, a pale hand settled itself over Akira's furrowing brow as a pair of mocha-brown eyes fought to stay open, not the least surprised to see the older man's face floating above his own.
"Ryo?"
The name came out unbidden, the smile on Ryo's face as the honorific was dropped off subconsciously almost illuminating the light-haired teacher's features in sheer amusement.
"You stayed." Though the 16-year-old said it much more quietly than Miko, the breathlessness and sheer amazement of the words coming out of Akira's mouth caused a pit of sadness to bury itself deep within Ryo's chest. The hand resting over Akira's forehead trailed down, fingers lightly tracing the contours of the boy's face Akira blinked in wonderment.
Letting his hand fall off the still fuzzy-eyed teen's face, Ryo took a step back, breaking the intimate mood set between them.
"I have made breakfast for both Miko-chan and Akira-kun. As Miko-chan is already eating, I suggest Akira-kun rise and do the same before she consumes all of the pancakes."
"HEY!" Akira heard Miko shout from the kitchen table, the sight of a hand with fork full of pancakes swinging to-and-fro catching his eye from the open passageway. "I saved onii-chan some pancakes!"
"And how many is that?" Akira finally snarked, his mind finally functioning at full-level. Gathering himself from the couch, the 16-year-old student brushed off his still-evident limp and made his way to the kitchen, trying not to notice the man trailing after him silently. "One out of the whole stack?"
"..."
"Miko…"
"The pancakes were awesome?"
"I knew it!"
"Kyaaa! Onii-chan is scary when he doesn't have his full share of pancakes!"
"You're damn right!"
"Does Akira-kun always look so cute when hungry and frustrated?"
"What?!"
"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!"
"Gah! Stop it, Ryo! And look Miko, you just keep eating the damn pancakes!"
"And you just keep standing there complaining! So no pancakes for you!"
"You little brat!"
"Pancakes, pancakes, pan-pan-pan-PANCAKES!"
Akira sweat dropped as the young girl happily chewed on her pancakes, quite content in ignoring the 16-year-old stewing in his frustration.
"If you ever make breakfast for us ever again…" The twitchy teen stood back as the pancakes rapidly evaporated, both men staring in awe at the eating machine that was Miko. "You are so making oatmeal."
"NO! I LOVE PANCAKES!" The fanatical eight-year-old cried out, already beginning to hyperventilate at the thought of never eating Ryo's super delicious treat ever again.
"I could simply make more…" Ryo slowly stated as he backed away from the suddenly hyper schoolgirl and the increasingly frustrated 16-year-old who looked as if he wanted to strangle said girl.
'It's amazing how quickly they can switch moods.' The teacher thought to himself as he looked down at his watch, mentally noting just how much time he had to get to work and if such a feat was actually possible. 'It does make me wonder if Akira was a woman in a former lifetime…'
" By the way…" Akira's face turned serious as he took a seat next to his ravenous sister, ruffling her locks in a parental manner as she grinned up at him, the faux-argument done with for the time being. "Thanks. For everything."
"Akira-kun stated his thanks the night before." Ryo sat down across from them, thankful to have set his own plate aside away from the pancake-eating monster that was Miko. "There is no need to do so again."
"Yes…" The boy's large brown eyes seemed to glisten for a moment as they swung around and pierced the older man with their gaze, though Ryo could not tell if it was perhaps just a trick of the dim light within the room. "There is."
Picking up a fork, Miko glanced at the two men as they both stared at each other, seemingly caught within the other's eyes.
"… Are you guys going to give each other googly-eyes all day? Because I'm still hungry, and there are still pancakes to be eaten." The ebony-haired girl stated in all seriousness, internally grinning at the red splashing not only Akira's, but Ryo's face as well.
"Tell me again why I keep you around?" Akira stated as seriously as he could possibly could with a growing smile covering the lower half of his face.
"Because you love me…" The eight-year-old sang out, making Ryo blink as Akira only shook his head in amusement. "Can't live without me…"
"If that's what you tell yourself at night when you go to sleep," Akira smirked as he cut up a piece of one of the last pancakes and brought it to his lips. "Then I won't change any of your delusions."
"HEY!"
Akira continued to smirk as he ate his pancakes, ignoring his sister's squeals.
Ryo simply grinned, knowing that today he would most definitely not being making it into work.
Matsuda sighed as he bypassed all the weary officers setting things up on their desks and despairingly drinking their cups of coffee, tirelessly getting ready for another dead-end day filled with nothing but protests, endless crime and most importantly, death.
'Sorry guys…' the older officer thought as he made his way to his office, thoroughly exhausted himself. 'No pep-talk today.'
It was when Matsuda entered his office and closed the door, that he really wished that he had just stayed home and just laid in bed all day.
Boxes upon boxes lay around his desk, folders popping out from the tops of each. As he reached his desk, a piece of paper stuck out like a sore thumb, grabbing his attention even more than the boxes. As he unfolded it, four words made him abruptly wince.
Turn on your phone.
'Damn it…'
Lips curling into a deeper frown than usual, the 55-year-old man collected his phone from his pocket and turned it on, not surprised when not even two minutes later, it began to ring.
"That was an extremely idiotic thing to do."
"So I've heard." The older man snapped back, putting his things down beside his desk as he continued to walk through the landmine of boxes and folders.
"We have more to do on this matter than you believe. Petty squabbles will not solve anything. I have left you all the information you need within your office, ready to be perused once you wrangle the child in with you today."
"Today? You want me to drag him away from his home and throw all this crap on him today." Matsuda kneaded the bridge of his nose as he held the compact phone to his ear, ready to throw it on the ground and call it a day. "Are you insane?"
"We have run out of time."
"Well then, that's you're problem isn't it?"
"And his as well if you continue to ignore it and me."
"You want me to torment a kid I practically helped raise! Don't you think I'm justified in being just a tiny bit cautious at this point?! After what happened with Kosei…" The older man halted in his words, not sure he could finish them with the memory of his dear friend so fresh on his mind. " Don't you think the child's suffered enough? He should be free to live his own life and leave this damn case dead and buried where it belongs for him!"
"Do you believe that Miyanaga-san would have felt that avoiding the issue would be the best course of action in this situation? It is not in his son's best interest to simply brush this problem off, Matsuda-san."
"Don't bring Kosei into this. Let old dog's lie and leave the damn kid alone."
"I'm afraid I cannot do that."
"And why's that?"
"Because they are coming to get him tonight."
"What?!"
"He does not have much time left. They are going to get him and they will not take his comfort into consideration as you have been doing up until this point. Therefore it is in his best interest that you speak with him beforehand and take him by force if you have to."
"And you're telling me all this now?!" The older man banged his fist against his paper-filled desk, items jumping up at the brutal contact of flesh against wood. "Does my participation in this case mean nothing to you?!"
"At the moment, the only thing that concerns me is that child and what those people finally having him within their grasp will mean."
"Do you honestly think that us cutting them off and getting to him first is going to help? He's not an idiot. He won't listen to me without some sort of explanation to back up leaving." Matsuda forced himself to calm down, gulping down deep breaths as he leaned back against his leather crafted chair. "And taking him by force isn't going to help. Not… not with him, anyway."
"You are speaking of his past abuse, yes?"
"Don't speak of that so callously."
"And yet you have continued to watch it happen so callously. What is the difference between what you have done and what I speak of?
"I will say this once and only once;" The officer stated coldly, his breaking point quickly approaching as the monotone voice on the other line silenced itself. "The next time you speak of what he has gone through as you have, you will not get another warning of any kind as I hand in my resignation and make sure you never even come near Akira in your lifetime or the next. When I say do not speak of this again, it means do not speak of this again. Am I clear?"
"… … … I apologize."
"Of course you do."
"So what will we do then, Matsuda-san? You clearly know him on a much more intimate level than anyone else who has worked with his father, so I can only entrust this in your own hands, along with the direction of our operation."
"I'll call him and set up a meeting with him today. Before anything else, we'll get him and his sister out of that house and into safety. Once we do that…"
"Then, we shall come into play."
"… Yes." Matsuda closed his eyes as his voice dropped down into a whisper, wondering just how he of all people became so entangled in this web of never-ending deceit. "And with that, the truth."
"Why do you keep staring at me so damn creepily?" Akira glared at the older man as he shoved his plate aside and pushed back his chair. "It's kind of starting to freak me out, really."
"I apologize." Ryo stated as he kept within his seat, still eyeing the boy intently. "I just have something I need to speak of with Akira-kun."
"And what's that?" The 16-year-old asked as he grabbed his plate, fingers gently grasping the ceramic material as Akira spun around and made his way over to the sink.
"It is something I actually decided last night, watching Akira-kun sleep within my arms."
The boy halted all movement as Ryo shifted within his seat, leaning his head against his now raised knees in a childish rendition of posture.
"Yes?" The dark-haired boy with blond highlights did not move, his voice a small whisper compared to the usual boisterous tone he injected in all his speech.
Bringing a thumb up into his mouth, Ryo locked his eyes with his own empty plate still laying on the table, smudges of syrup still apparent on its once pristine surface. "Akira-kun is not happy here."
"I…"
"And neither is Miko-chan." The older man continued on, not even noticing as the boy continued with his small trek to the sink. "That makes me very sad."
"There's nothing we can really do about it for now." Akira admitted as he placed the dish within the sink and turned on the faucet, allowing the hot water to run against the kitchenware within the basin. "Once I finish high school and get a job, I'll be able to get us both out of here. Even though I can move out now, I couldn't leave Miko with that woman. Everything will get better eventually. I just…"
"Everything could be better now." The teacher bit his lip as the sound of a dish crashing against the sink resounded throughout the kitchen, almost overpowering the echoes of the television on within Akira's room.
"I already told you, calling the police is not an option-"
"That is not what I am implying."
"You better not be suggesting what I think you are suggesting then." The stone-cold seriousness in the boy's tone did nothing to put Ryo off as he stood up from his chair, carefully lowering his legs as he did so.
"Akira-kun is not happy here." The deep baritone came ever closer as the quiet footsteps made their way on the cool tile floor.
"You've already-"
"Neither is Miko-chan."
"Ryo…"
"So, where would they happy, I wonder?"
Akira said nothing as he continued to wash dishes, ignoring the man now hovering over his back. Ryo kept his place at Akira's side as his analytical onyx eyes kept their sights on the statuesque teen trying his very best to not read in between the lines.
"I do not think there is a choice to be made, is there, Akira-kun?" Molten amber met midnight black as the two stared off against the other.
"Why do you have to do this to me?" Akira whispered as the older man refused to back away. "I can't do what you want me to do. Don't you get it?"
"I understand that if Akira-kun does not accept my offer, I shall have to go to the police and settle this on my own terms." Ryo fired back, his blasé expression not changing in the slightest even as his voice rose slightly in what could have been anger. "I understand that if Akira-kun does not begin to collect his things along with his sister's, that I will stay here until his mother arrives and confront her myself along with said policemen."
"Now who's being an idiot?" The trembling in the boy's tone did not go unnoticed as he finally let go of the gaze and stared down at the sterile floor, socked feet scuffing the smooth surface as he did so.
"I would gladly play the idiot if it meant keeping Akira-kun safe." Ryo smirked as Akira scowled, the younger of the two turning away to hide his now flushed cheeks.
"I…"
"AKIRA!"
Miko shrill yell broke the conversation as both men quickly ran out of the kitchen and into Akira's room.
"What happened?!" Akira panicked as he eyed the girl for any injuries, only to see her pajama-clad figure lying in bed, his cell phone in hand as she blinked over at the teen and adult.
"Phone."
Akira sweat dropped.
"Idiot."
Miko grinned as she threw the phone over at him, turning back to the television still on in front of her.
Ryo grabbed the much more volatile older sibling out of the room before he could tackle the poor girl, plopping them both onto the couch as Akira nodded his thanks before turning his attention to the phone within his hand.
"Hello?"
"Akira-kun?"
"Matsuda-san…" Akira leaned back against the couch, the events from the day before and the contents within the folder still lying on the coffee table rushing forward. Ryo's abnormally wide eyes narrowed as he bit his thumb once again, staring adamantly at the suddenly relaxed boy in suspicion.
"I need to speak with you immediately. It's urgent."
"What time?"
"Now."
"Oh…" Akira glanced over at Ryo. "But I have someone over at the moment…"
"… … Really? Who?"
Akira's own eyes narrowed. "Why do you need to know?"
"Akira, your life may be in danger. Whoever it is, get away from them as soon as possible and meet me at the diner near your father's old haunt in a hour tops."
The 16-year-old kept his gaze at Ryo, eyes clouding over as Matsuda's words sank in.
"Akira?"
"I'll be there… along with my sister and my friend."
"Akira-"
"I don't care about anything else you have say. This game you're playing ends here. It's either us altogether or nothing at all."
"… … Fine. But be careful, Akira. I sure hope you know what you're doing, son."
Akira hung up without so much as a goodbye, dropping the phone onto the couch as he slouched within his seat. Closing his eyes, Akira grinned sardonically as he finally addressed his friend beside him.
"So… you up for a little fieldtrip, Ryo?"