After having been discovered by Ghetsis Touko, Cheren, and Bianca were led to Ghetsis's study by the Shadow Triad. They were now standing before Ghetsis; he stared at them with half-interest, swirling half empty contents of a wine glass. Touko swallowed biting her bottom lip as she looked towards N as he stood behind Ghetsis's chair with Anthea and Concordia, hoping for some form of reassurance. N merely gave her a small smile, yet his eyes seemed to tell her that no matter what she would be alright; Touko relaxed slightly.

"Hey hey hey, quit manhandling me," Shouted a voice outside of the study. The group stiffened, immediately recognizing it as the voice of Touya. All eyes besides Ghetsis's turned towards the door as it burst open, revealing a struggling Touya and two bedraggled guards.

"We've caught…Finally, we got…" The male guard panted, trying to catch his breath. Ghetsis merely raised his hand, effectively silencing him.

"You may have caught a trespasser," Ghetsis began, "But you let in three intruders by leaving your post. And that is a much bigger failure than letting one trespasser get away."

"We promise that it will never happen again." The female guard said, bowing in the direction of Ghetsis's chair. Ghetsis smirked, sipping from his glass as he stared into the glass.

"You're right, it won't. Because as of today, you are fired."

"F-Fired," Both guards exclaimed, looking at each other. Suddenly the Shadow Triad appeared around them; two of them grasped the guards, while one took Touya out of their grasps and led him towards the other group. The two guards struggled and fought as hard as they could to get away from the two other members of the Triad. Despite their best efforts, they were seemingly effortlessly dragged out with the door closing behind them.

Touko looked over at Touya, eyes conveying worry over Iris's fate. Touya merely gave a grin, trying to convey the message that she was okay. Suddenly Touya was shoved towards the group, causing him to stumble forward; Touko steadied him as he turned around to glare at the Shadow Triad member.

"So, the gang is all here," Ghetsis drawled, setting his glass down. He pressed his hands together, his fingers forming a steeple as he rested his head behind them. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"Father, please-" N began before Ghetsis raised his hand to silence him.

"I believe I was talking to your vagrant companions, not to you," Ghetsis said, "Now will you speak, or are you dumb and mute?"

Touko glanced over at her friends; Cheren gave a slight nod as Bianca bit her bottom lip slightly, signaling that she should be the one to speak. Touko mentally prepared herself, taking a deep breath as she began to speak.

"Sir, we came because we were concerned with how N, Concordia, and Anthea were doing," Touko said, hoping that her voice didn't give away how nervous she was.

"And exactly why would you be concerned with how my children are doing," He asked, raising an eyebrow, "Clearly they don't appear malnourished; they have clothing, and a roof over their heads. So what if you don't see them for a few days? Perhaps they are trying to accomplish something and don't have time for your silly little games."

"I know N, and I know he wouldn't ignore the people he considers important no matter how busy he is." Touko stated confidently. "He would make time to see us and to enjoy himself."

"And just how do you know that he considers you important?" Ghetsis asked, smirking.

"Because he knows the dangers of what he's doing by coming out to see me, and yet he still does it."

"And how do you know that isn't just teenage rebellion?"

Touko opened her mouth to retort, but found that she couldn't come up with a logical argument. It's not that she didn't think N considered her important just because, but rather that she knew it in her heart without any logical reasoning. And in this battle with Ghetsis, Touko knew that just using feeling and words would fail miserably.

Ghetsis's smirk grew at her lack of a response. "That's right, how do you know that once he gets out of these years he won't just abandon you like a child abandons an old toy? You are obviously something quite…foreign to him, and something that I don't approve of at all. What makes you think he isn't doing this as one of those petty acts of rebellion you teenagers are so fond of?"

Touko balled her hands into fists as she spoke. "Because I know in my heart that he cares more about spending time with me then with stupid rebellion!"

Ghetsis suddenly laughed, causing Touko to startle slightly. "You…You are a fool, aren't you?" Ghetsis suddenly asked her. Touko blinked, confused by question.

"What…What do you…"

"You're in love with him, aren't you," Ghetsis spat. N's eyes widened as Touko's face suddenly burned bright red. Ghetsis's sneer grew more sinister at her reaction as he continued.

"Stupid girl, letting him play you like that," Ghetsis began, "This boy has spent much of his life in this house with barely any human interaction; he probably doesn't even know what love is! His actions are probably merely friendly or childish curiosity, and you've gone and misinterpreted them."

Touko bit her bottom lip as she felt tears well up in her eyes. She closed them, fighting them back as she directed her face towards the ground; her hair hid her face from Ghetsis's view as her shoulders shook. N's hands balled into fists as he saw her expression; he felt anger well up inside him at how incredibly sad and vulnerable she appeared. Ghetsis merely smirked as he leaned back in his chair, glancing over at Cheren and Touya.

"And let me guess, you two probably thought these girls had a thing for you as well," Ghetsis asked, gesturing towards Anthea and Concordia. Touya merely blinked in confusion as Cheren's cheeks slightly took on a red hue. Concordia felt her own cheeks heat up as she saw Cheren look towards the ground, his hands shoved into his pockets; he glanced towards her out of the corner of his eyes. Ghetsis cackled at their reactions as he took his glass in his hand.

"See children, this is why I wanted to stay away from people," Ghetsis said, gesturing towards the group, "You three are socially inept besides what I have taught you to thrive in the world of success, and look where it has gotten you."

"You're wrong," N said, standing tall and speaking confidently. Ghetsis glanced over his shoulder at N, an eyebrow raised in his direction.

"What was that," Ghetsis asked in a threatening manner. N walked forward, carrying himself like a king as he headed towards Touko.

"I said," He passed Ghetsis's chair, "That you are wrong." He said, standing before Touko. Although Touko was still not looking up at him despite him having moved closer, all eyes were now trained on them. N gently reached out, grasping her chin and tilting her face upwards so that their eyes could meet; his green eyes stared into her glimmering blue eyes.

"I may not have much experience with the outside world," He said, loud enough for Ghetsis to hear but soft enough to be considered soothing, "However, I know that what I'm feeling is much deeper than shallow rebellion. My most treasured moments are with Touko, and I always feel happiest when I am with her."

"N…" Touko breathed softly. N smiled as he brushed hair from her face; his hand came to rest on a tear stained cheek softly.

"I only want her to be happy and safe," He continued, "I've tried to keep her safe, but obviously I've failed if she is standing here. If she would be happier with another person besides me, I would stand by her as she worked towards her new love. Therefore…if this isn't love, this powerful desire to be by her side and always see her smile…then I don't think I will ever understand it. And I will hope that I never do, because anything stronger than this will drive me mad."

Touko felt tears well up in her eyes again as she launched herself into N's arms; he returned her embrace tightly, his head resting on top of hers. Touko looked up at him, her eyes sparkling in happiness.

"Do you…Do you mean it," Touko asked softly. N nodded, smiling tenderly at her.

"Every word."

Touko felt warmth spread from her chest to every fiber of her being at his words. She stood on her tiptoes as she suddenly pressed a kiss to his lips, eyes closed. N's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but slowly closed as he responded to the kiss, pulling her closer to him as they forgot about the room around them.

Ghetsis glared at the couple, his grip tightening on his glass as he contained his rage. Suddenly he heard movement to his other side; he glanced over and saw Concordia walked towards Cheren, her shoulders squared back. She stopped in front of Cheren; Cheren raised an eyebrow, causing her to blush lightly as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I…I-I just wanted to say that, for a guy that hangs out with a bunch of idiots, you're…" Concordia paused, her face flushing a light shade of pink. "You're…n-not so bad."

Cheren blinked in confusion slightly as Concordia looked away. He then smiled as he stepped forward, placing his hand on top of her head. She looked over at him, eyes questioning; he leaned in slightly, kissing her gently on the forehead. Concordia's eyes widened as he did; she stared up at him as he pulled away, a playful glint in his eyes.

"You're not so bad yourself," He replied, smiling lightly. Concordia blushed as he did, turning her head to look away from him.

"D-Don't think that gets you out of any trouble you might get into though," She said, "Y-You still have a long way to go to impress me!"

"And yet I've seen enough to know I'll never be impressed," Ghetsis growled, slamming his fist on the table. Everyone jumped at his reaction; N stood protectively in front of Touko, glaring at Ghetsis. Ghetsis stood, his robes flourishing as he did.

"I've given everything to raise you ungrateful brats," Ghetsis began, "And this is how you repay me?"

"You didn't raise us," N spat, "You treated us like prisoners, keeping us locked up in this house at all times! What parent does that to their children, and then expects the child to be grateful for it?"

"The kind that has done so for their own best interest," Ghetsis shouted.

"For whose best interests though," N retorted, "For your own, or for the child's? You wanted us to be successful, and so you have kept us locked away to not be 'tainted' as you put it. While we…we only wanted to be like the other kids, outside and making friends, living a normal life! If you wanted our best interests, you would have let us out!"

"As a child, your best interests were too focused on the present, and not on the future." Ghetsis replied. He walked towards N until they only stood a few feet apart; they both stared coldly at each other as he continued speaking.

"I raised you with the best interests for the future in mind, not for your childish present," He said, "I only wanted what was best for you three."

N narrowed his eyes up at him. "I'm sure if mother were alive she'd-"

"Your mother abandoned you," Ghetsis screamed at him. N's eyes widened, and Touko watched as his body stiffened at his words.

"No…" N said, trying to calm his breathing, "She…she didn't abandon us, she died!"

"That's all a lie," Ghetsis sneered, "That woman…she showed up on my doorstep, you cradled in her arms while tugging along those two!" Ghetsis pointed at Anthea and Concordia, who both looked as shocked as N did.

N's body trembled slightly, his eyes falling to the floor as he tried to comprehend everything. "Why…why…"

"Your mother…she was a past friend of mine, and could no longer handle the burden of having you three with her," Ghetsis explained, smirking at N's form, "She knew I was well off, and knew that I could give you a life like no other. And as she handed you over to me, she said these exact words: 'Keep him safe, and raise him to be the greatest that he can be. Never let him know of my existence and my failures.' And I've kept my word since; I've kept her a secret from you for so long, kept you safe, and have raised you to be the greatest you can be."

"Where…" N swallowed, trying to dissolve the lump in his throat, "Where…is she now?"

"Even if I knew," Ghetsis began, "I wouldn't tell you."

N glanced over at Concordia and Anthea. "You two….you knew?"

"We had no idea N," Concordia shouted, feeling her heart break at N's broken expression, "We were given the same story that you were given, I swear!"

"But you spent time with her…" N murmured, his hands balling into fists, "You…you actually got to live with her, and then she just handed you off to him! How can you not remember something like that?!"

Concordia felt the tears prick at her eyes as Anthea spoke. "N, please, we truly don't remember. Memories at that age never stick around…Even if we wanted to, we probably wouldn't be able to recall."

"The world is a cruel place N," Ghetsis said, clasping his shoulder. N looked at the hand on his shoulder as he looked up at Ghetsis, his mind still reeling. Ghetsis merely gave a small smile as he stared into N's confused eyes.

"I have worked to protect you from it for so long…I have tried to save you from these realities, because I knew that you wouldn't be able to handle it. You've always been rather sensitive to these topics," Ghetsis said in a soft tone, almost like a father would to his real son, "But now you know the truth…and now, finally, you can make an informed decision. So go ahead and choose; choose either a world where you can follow that girl who will most likely hurt you in the end, just like your mother, or stay here….with me, and experience a life safe from these troubles."

N bit his bottom lip, breaking his gaze from his father's. Touko saw as Ghetsis smirked, his eyes dancing in glee as he thought that he won. Touko suddenly rushed from behind N, pushing him behind her as she shoved Ghetsis's hand off his shoulder. N's head snapped up as she spread her arms to protect him from Ghetsis; Ghetsis merely glared at her.

"Stop manipulating him like this," Touko shouted, "If I was going to hurt him, I would have never come here today! In fact, none of us would be here if we didn't care enough about him to only want him safe!"

"Yeah," Touya shouted from his place in the line-up. N glanced over at him as he turned his gaze back to Touko's back, eyes wide with wonder. Touko continued with her speech, her blue eyes staring straight at Ghetsis.

"The world isn't a cruel place N; it's filled with a lot of good things! You know this, you've been out there! Sure, there are some sad and really bad things out there….But when you have friends and family that care for you, you never have to deal with them alone! So don't give up just based on what he says!"

"Touko…" N breathed. Touko looked back at him, smiling brightly as she ignored Ghetsis's presence. N's eyes suddenly widened as he saw Ghetsis raise his hand, preparing to strike her.

"Touko," He shouted, reaching out to grab her to pull her out of the way. Confusion flit across Touko's face as she turned back to Ghetsis, only to be struck hard across the face. Touko fell to the ground, her body landing on top of N's; she groaned as she held her cheek, a red welt forming. N held her close to him, staring up at Ghetsis as he stalked towards them.

"I…will teach you…to know your place," He roared, raising his hand again in attack. N pulled Touko tighter to him, his body moving to protect her from any blows. Before a hit could land, a sound of clapping and a voice speaking interrupted the moment.

"Well, that's quite a show you're putting on there," The voice said, coming from the doorway. Everyone's eyes turned to the doorway; Touya gasped in surprise as he saw Alder and the other Elite Four standing there, with Iris perched atop Alder's shoulder.

"See Uncle Alder," Iris said, pointing at Ghetsis, "I told you something fishy was going on in this big house!"

"U-U-Uncle," Touya exclaimed, pointing at Iris. Alder patted her head, placing her down on the ground as he stepped into the room with the rest of the Elite Four.

"Well, it certainly seems you were right about that." Alder said, hands on his hips. "I wonder Grimsley, what kind of punishment is this man facing?"

Grimsley smirked, running his hands through his hair. "Well, assaulting a minor with intent to harm them can get a maximum of a year in jail. Add onto that about-oh, I'd say eighteen or so years of emotional neglect and abuse-and I'd say that even if he doesn't get a good amount of jail time, he won't be seeing these kids for a long time."

"You…You have nothing against me," Ghetsis spat, pointing at Grimsley. Grimsley smirked, holding up a tape recorder; Ghetsis's jaw dropped, the color draining from his face.

"Oh, but I do," Grimsley said, "You see, I worked for a while as a private investigator before Alder recruited me. So I know to bring certain devices with me at all times in case certain…situations like this arise."

"You…I…" Ghetsis stuttered, unable to coherently form a sentence. Caitlin stepped forward, her arms crossed over her chest.

"We notified the authorities that something strange was going on at this address," She said, "Once they hear everything that's happened, these kids will be placed into some protection program to keep them away from you. Especially those three," She gestured towards Anthea, Concordia, and N, "Considering that they are legal adults now."

Ghetsis trembled with suppressed rage as the sound of sirens could be heard outside. Soon police officers entered the mansion, storming into the study quickly. Ghetsis looked around and, seeing that he had lost, raised his hands in defeat. An officer approached him, immediately cuffing him and leading him out of the study. Others began interviewing everyone in the room; N looked down at Touko as she lay in his arms.

"Are you alright," He asked. Touko nodded, her own hand coming up to caress his cheek. N leaned into her touch, his eyes closing as she did.

"Are you," She asked softly, eyes shining with concern. N sighed, turning slightly to kiss the inside of her wrist.

"I…I don't know," He murmured, eyes closed, "My entire life…I've been lied to. I don't know what to think…I don't even know what to do now."

"N…" Touko murmured, biting her bottom lip. Footsteps approached them, causing both of them to turn their attention to the female officer standing before them. They both stood up, N taking Touko's hand in his as he helped her up.

"Sir, we'll need for you and your sisters to come with us to the station," The officer said, "There, we'll put you three into a protection program so that your previous guardian will be unable to find you."

"And what about Touko and everyone else," N asked, looking over at them. She smiled reassuringly, gesturing around at the other officers.

"Don't worry, my comrades will make sure that everyone gets home safely and will no longer be bothered by Ghetsis." She said, "However, in order to make that happen, you will have to leave and not tell anyone where you are."

"But…but then…" Touko said, looking at N with wide eyes. The officer nodded, smiling sadly.

"I'm afraid so," She said, "Part of the protection program entails complete secrecy in the locations of the clients. After this, the two of you may never be able to see each other again."

"No…" Touko murmured, feeling her heart clench at the idea. N looked away, his hands balling into his fists as he processed everything. After a few moments of silence he turned back to the officer, his eyes set in determination.

"If it means she won't get hurt, then I'll do it," N said. Touko immediately looked over at him, eyes beginning to tear again. N looked over at her, giving a small smile as he squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Don't worry about me Touko," He said, bringing her hand to his lips gently, "I have faith that we'll be able to find each other again. Just trust me, okay?"

Touko nodded, squeezing his hand back. "Okay…I'll trust you."

N smiled, leaning forward and kissing her forehead. He then turned towards the officer, releasing Touko's hand as he did. "I'm ready to go now ma'am."

"Oh, you can call me Jenny if you want," The officer said, smiling. N smiled as Concordia and Anthea walked over to them, both looking a bit more forlorn than before.

"Thank you Officer Jenny," N said, smiling. Jenny smiled, leading the three of them out of the study towards the cars waiting outside of the house. Touya came over, resting a hand on Touko's shoulder as Cheren and Bianca came over as well.

"You okay sis," Touya asked, concern in his voice. Touko nodded, wiping at her eyes; tears had begun to fall without her noticing.

"Yeah," She said, sniffling slightly, "I'll be alright." She said, placing her hands over her heart as she glanced towards the window of the study; she saw N inside the officer's car staring back inside. He gave her a small smile and a wave as the car began to pull away; Touko smiled and waved back as he disappeared into the distance.

"After all, we'll definitely find ourselves together again someday." Touko said a small smile on her face.


A/N: OHAI THERE. College has been eating my soul. Hence why this thing has taken so God damn LONG to post and why it fails. And I've been listening/watching sappy things. Hence why this chapter is such a fuzz ball of wet and warm sap. Sooo, this is technically the last chapter before the epilogue. So expect an epilogue before I graduate college. (That's in 2016 guys; I can totally do that!) So leave a review and you'll get a cookie in the shape of Officer Jenny! Until next time, SEE YA LATER!