A.N: So... yeah. This chapter... was so much fun to write. There's so much... and yet not enough. I just... love it. There's no other way to describe it. I'm in love with my own story. Oh, how sad is that? Lol! Don't be scared by the small bit at the end of the chapter, that's just a way to signify coming change as the story progresses; and yes, the arcs are all inter-connected, peoples. Yays. XD I want to make this story so long (as the plot is carefully interweaving itself within my mind), but I think (and Kit-chan, as well, as she has just outright said. Lol!) that I'll kill myself trying to finish it the way I want to. T.T Condensing, here I come.

Many thanks to Kitsune55 for beta-ing this chapter, as super-busy as she is! And I hope you guys enjoy the chappie!


Title: For Every Action

Chapter Twelve: Illuminating the Darkness Within


"You've got... to be kidding me. No..." Akira whispered as he placed his hand over his mouth, not sure how to take in this new source of information. "No, no, no, no, no! I won't do it, then! You won't put me in the center of this fight! I just won't have it!"

"Akira, please!" Matsuda pleaded as the boy shook within his seat, looking more than a little disturbed by the sudden revelation. "This is about more than any stupid fight! Your life and soul are on the line, and you're sitting here declining my help just because you can't stomach your own pride just like your fat-"

"You think I'm declining your help?!" The blonde highlights of the boy's hair glinted against the sunlight pouring from the window just beside their table, cinnamon brown eyes narrowing in upset, stopping Matsuda before he could even finish the damning sentence and all the damage it would incur. "Matsuda-san, I have always been grateful for what you have done for me, and have never said no to anything you have asked me to do, but here, I must draw the line. I will not become involved in either your war or Kira's, not now, not ever. Not after… not after everything I've already have had to sacrifice to sustain what I have now, which is barely anything at all, thanks."

Matsuda winced as the 16-year-old raven-haired teen gave him a vicious glare, the silence thick over the table. Ryo felt his hand twitch uncomfortable as he gave his ward a subtle glance to the side, not sure how to take Akira's sudden adamant refusal, especially when hearing that L himself wanted to help him.

After another long moment of dreadful quiet, Akira finally couldn't take it anymore as he felt something inside of him grow taut and finally snap in half.

"I'm going to go find Miko. I'll be right back."

Barely giving the other men at the table any time to try to gather their own thoughts, the young teen flew from the table, ripping his hand out of Ryo's grasp as he ran into the arcade his little sister was situated in. Dark eyes traced after the boy's figure until there was no sign of the lithe body to watch, not noticing the pair of mahogany brown eyes now concentrating solely on them.

"What did you people do to him?" Ryo whispered as he turned his attention back to the officer stirring his cup of coffee. Matsuda gave a fickle smirk as he dropped the spoon within the cup, watching the coffee slosh against the sides of the cup as he turned his stare away from the light-haired teacher in front of him.

"A lot more than what you think we've done, on both his and his father's part." The older man whispered as Ryo blinked, not sure if he was meant to hear that last comment or not. "There's a lot you don't know about this boy that makes him the perfect mystery, isn't there? A challenge you've never encountered before… almost familiar, yet still so new. Am I right?"

Ryo felt his lips thin over as he stared over at the veteran officer gave a brief smile, this one tinged with a small bit of nostalgia. "Tell me the truth, since it really won't hurt either way in the end whether you feel one way or the other… is Akira just a game to you, Lowen-san?"

"Why would you ask something like that about someone who is supposedly in your care, especially towards a person who you've just met?" Ryo drawled as he took a sip of his overly saturated coffee, barely looking as angry as he truly was.

"Akira is someone who I consider near and dear to me for several reasons. First and foremost, I was the one who basically raised him once his father passed. Second, I can honestly say he is much like the son I've never had, and I would do anything to protect him." Matsuda felt the maliciousness set behind the almost-vacant gaze, the fire within Ryo's gaze kindling with a blaze that the 23-year-old could not hide no matter how hard he tried. "And finally…"

"Yes?" The chestnut-haired professor quirked up his eyebrow as the investigator in front of him hesitated, the wrinkles of the older man's brow furrowing even deeper as Matsuda's dark brown eyes seemed to gloss over within seconds.

"He's the chance for redemption we all should have had from the beginning." Matsuda stated simply as he pushed his coffee aside, allowing the liquid to cool even further. "You feel it, too, don't you? Whenever you look at him, it's like you're looking at an innocence that shouldn't ever be corrupted. Akira is the personification of both naivety and wisdom come to life… And I'll be damned if you aren't going to take his feelings seriously, Lowen-san."

Ryo stayed silent as he turned his dark, almost completely black orbs down to the table, not knowing what to say. Matsuda smiled once more, this time in satisfaction.

"You're the same, you know." Matsuda ignored the slightly astonished stare sent his way as he continued to grin. "I see so much of him in you already… yet you're still so different. It's amazing really… that you managed to gravitate towards each other so quickly."

"What are you…?" Ryo felt his eyes widen even more than usual, sandy fringe obscuring his morbidly dark gaze. "What did you mean by that? Just who are you speaking of, and why do you continue to compare me to whoever 'he' is?"

Matsuda blinked in surprise.

"Did you honestly believe that I wouldn't connect two and two together? Whoever this person is, is the person you commented earlier that I reminded you of, and the way you speak of him makes me believe all the more that I am somehow connected to him." The pale-skinned teacher glared at the detective as he felt the other man's sight waver. "I have never met you in my life; that much was not a lie. Yet you know things about me that even I do not know. Tell me… do you… do you know of me? Truly?"

"I… may know of things about you." Matsuda carefully answered, not sure how to take the sudden intensity of the other man's stare. "You still don't remember, do you?"

Ryo felt his eyes shift as he glanced over at the arcade Akira and Miko still resided, the strange anxiousness burrowing deeper within his chest as Matsuda reminded the teacher of all the pain and doubt he attempted to keep hidden behind his wall of disinterest.

"You still wish to know what happened before your twelfth birthday, don't you." At the sound of the words escaping Matsuda's lips, Ryo felt his head snap up, all pretense of any lackadaisical attitude long gone. "Why you can't remember anything before that fateful day but your name and… well…"

"How do you know about that?" The younger of the two felt his heart twinge in what could have been hurt as old wounds were being scratched upon once again. "Who told you… but… him…?"

"You do remind me a lot of a person I used to know, Lowen-san, and I know what you might be thinking. I really have never met you before today… but that doesn't mean I don't know about you, either." Matsuda felt himself shutter in self-deprecation as Ryo slowly closed his eyes and nearly dropped his cup on the table. "Do you really think you can run from him the rest of your life?"

"I…" Ryo began before shutting his mouth, pale skin looking more effervescent against the mid-afternoon light pouring over from the window just beside them.

"You care about Akira, don't you? If you do this… you'll be able to stay by his side and protect him yourself." Matsuda frowned as Ryo remained tight-lipped. "I would rather that be the case than having to send him off by himself, if it makes any sort of difference in how you think about it. At least with you, I know he'll be safe."

"And how do you know that?" Ryo felt his self-control become intact once again as he let out a small breath of air, relaxing his fingers so that they would stop clenching against each other. "I could be just another downfall in the making for the poor boy and not even know it. Or maybe I'll lose interest halfway through and leave both him and Miko to the sharks that all of those people secretly claim to be."

"Maybe you will… maybe won't. No one can predict the future, after all, least of whom an old man like me. All I care about is making sure Akira is treated the way he should be, and I can see in the way that you look at him that all you want is the same. No matter what you say otherwise, Akira's well being is your main concern, and I doubt you'd leave him in anyone's clutches you deemed to be unsafe or distrustful. You're eyes reflect your true intentions whether you want them to or not." The detective grinned as he flicked some stray graying hairs away from his eyes, the easy going light in his eyes easily betraying his once happy go-lucky disposition as the irony behind those same hypnotic orbs which at one time hid so many unerring secrets did not escape him in the least. "Why can't we work together to achieve this, for both your own and Akira's sake? You'll only make life that much harder for him if you don't at least try to make him see reason."

"If I do this… If I do this, then I have but one request. All I wish is for both Akira and Miko to stay by my side." Ryo whispered, once again glancing towards the open doors of the arcade just outside his field of vision. "If you can promise me this, than I shall consider warming Akira up to the idea of meeting with... L. For the mean time, Akira shall be staying with me, and I shall not take no for an answer on this part."

"Well…" Matsuda began, looking as if he would begin to protest the conditions put forth.

"There is nothing to negotiate, here." Ryo silently took a sip of his lukewarm coffee, looking every bit as unaffected as he did not feel. "Akira shall stay in my care, though I can give no guarantees as to whether or not he will wish to meet with your people and all that may entail. I will not force him to do something he does not want to do… but I will try my hardest to at least open up the option for him."

"Understood." The way the officer smugly beamed as he stared at the 23-year-old made the dark-eyed teacher feel as if he had been subtly duped into doing just what the conniving investigator had wanted from the beginning, but Ryo could not bring himself to care all that much for the moment. This man held the answers to many questions he still had, and there was no doubt within Ryo's mind that neither Matsuda nor "L" would use this to their advantage.

They had Akira and Ryo right within the palms of their hands… and that scared the professor more than he cared to admit.

For now, Ryo would do what they asked of him, but the moment Akira became more than just a twisted pawn, this game would end for all sides.

'You are my number one now, Akira… whether you wish to be or not.' The dark-eyed man felt his heart palpitate as Matsuda cheerfully took a swig of his coffee, not at all looking like the preoccupied middle-aged man he had met not even an hour before.

'I will protect Akira with everything I have left within me," Hand gripping the cup of now stale coffee, Ryo frowned over at the mysterious officer in front of him in frustration, attempting to hold in the anger bubbling just below the surface of his blank façade. 'No matter what anyone says or does otherwise…'

"Don't let me down, Matsuda-san, and I will try not to do the same."

'I swear it.'


"Onii-chan!" Miko called out as she handed over the plastic gun connected to the small booth within her hands to a boy standing behind her, not caring about the game or what her score was in the least. "You took a long time! Is… is everything ok, Akira-nii?"

Akira absently nodded as he genially grabbed his little sister's hand and felt his stomach grumble in protest. A small blush covered his cheeks as Miko giggled in content, patting her mortified brother's stomach as he swatted her hands away in agitation.

"Wow, somebody sure is hungry! Sounds like you've got a monster in your belly trying to crawl its way out!" Miko once again giggled before grabbing onto Akira's arm, a beaming grin once again decorating her pure innocent face.

With a small smile, Akira allowed his younger sister to lead him away from the beeping machine and blinking lights and practically sat him down at a random table as she perused the 'menus' hanging overhead against the walls above them.

"Hm…" Miko murmured as Akira felt his thoughts scatter in a blinding assortment of random rays of light, wondering and yet wishing he would just stop thinking. "What do you think we should get, Akira?"

"Whatever you want to get, Miko-chan." The boy murmured as he leaned his chin against the palm of his hand, placing his elbow on top of the table as he continued to zone out.

"But… Aki-channn…" Akira rolled his eyes before grabbing his wallet out from his pocket and giving it to her, not even looking the least bit hesitant in doing so.

"Just go get some food. I'll be watching from right here."

Miko nodded sullenly before skipping off towards the counter, long sleeve bright pink shirt contrasting greatly with her dark onyx locks of glistening hair. Akira felt the need to smile once again overcome his lips as he tossed his hair to the side, eyes half-lidded in mindful concentration.

'Father… what should I do?'

Watching his little sister bubble about the counter as she laughed at something the cashier in front of her said, he wondered just what the best course of action was for his sister. She was so delicate and, if anything, in just as much in a predicament as he was. Akira would have to swallow a lot of his pride, much like Matsuda had commented, if he wanted to keep her safe.

Akira sighed as he pushed one of the salt shakers sitting at the table off to the side, eyes narrowing in both anger and moroseness. Everyone kept taking each decision away from him, whittling away at what little control he had in his life.

It was like he had never been given the chance to actually choose his own path, even when he was well above others when it came to levels of intelligence. Yet in the end, that was just extra baggage in his mind. The real question lingered on the outskirts of Akira's thoughts just waiting to be answered.

No matter what he did…

"Here Akira! I got us some food!" Miko giggled as Akira rolled his eyes, a small smile now hanging off his lips as he picked off a fry from the small basket placed in front of him. "Now don't try to it all at once. We still have to go shopping for food later…"

"Of course, Miko-chan." Akira felt the strain of the smile stretch thinly across his lips as he watched the salt shaker that he had pushed to the side fall completely off the table, his eyes clouding over with what could have been pain.

No matter what he did, Akira had always been destined to walk in someone else's in path.

The question now was just whose footsteps was he following as the line in the sand began to be drawn once more?


"You look tired, Megumi."

The green-eyed woman barely glanced up as she curled up even further within herself, mouth twitching downwards as the man above her looked down at her in disgust.

"What are you going to do, stay down there all day?"

"Hm…" Short strands of dark hair obscured the woman's face as she felt the rise of bile force its way up her throat, taking her off-guard as she wrapped a pale arm around her stomach.

"There's much work to be done today, Megumi, and you lying on your face is not part of any of it."

A kick to the back made the mother wince in pain before she steeled her expression, eyes resolutely staring at the wall in discomfort.

'I won't give into this again…'

"Of course, sir."

Blood red eyes lit up in glee as Megumi carefully picked herself up, a sense of vertigo making her stumble back once more as her arms collapsed beneath her. A dark eyebrow quirked up in amusement as he crossed his arms, a small smirk covering the lower half of his face as Megumi felt her anger bubble within her chest.

'You won't take them… you like you took Kosei.'

"I'll do what I can to please you, sir."

'I won't fall into this pit ever again. I won't.'

"I'll make sure that everything goes according to plan."

'My children have always deserved better than me.'

"Good." The man barely chanced another half-hearted glance before throwing the woman a towel that had been hanging off of his elbow. "Now get yourself all nice and cleaned up. We have a new present to pick up in just a few short hours."

'Yet I'll do all I can now to make sure-'

"Yes sir."

'That they won't have to ever live through this…'

Megumi clutched the towel closely to her stomach as the door to her 'room' closed shut with a small bang, eyes glistening with heartbreaking tears. Finally managing to pick herself up with a resolution the 34-year-old did not know she had, bright green eyes fluttered shut as Megumi shakily sighed to herself.

'I'll give up this greatest part of me and become something new.'

Grabbing the phone still on her person, the young mother stumbled within the bathroom and locked the door, turning on the water as she discretely dialed a number within her cell phone. Opening the small door of the cabinet, Megumi knelt down behind it and held the phone to her ear, hoping against hope that for once, her son would just pick up.

'Even if you hate me in the end, all I ask is that you save yourself, Akira.'

"Hello?"

'Save both yourself and your sister, and maybe we'll all have a fighting chance in this war.'

"Akira…? Is that… you?"


"Okaa-san?" Akira whispered as the french-fry hanging out of his mouth dropped on top of the table, Miko blinking as she paused in her eating. "What are you…?"

"I don't have a lot of time, Akira, but listen to me. You are in grave danger. Are you at the house?"

"No…" The boy responded, not knowing how to answer the shrunken back look on his little sister's face as she dropped her cheeseburger, her appetite gone.

"I want you to get back to the house and gather as much of your things as possible and leave within the next hour's time; do you understand?"

"But-"

"No 'but's', Akira! There are people coming after you that won't care whether you want to listen to them or not! You have to leave and find someplace safe for both yourself and your sister to hide out in for the next two weeks. After that… after that, maybe things will change."

"What are you talking about, okaa-san?" Akira whispered as he leaned forward, eyes unfocused as he felt his free hand clench against the edge of the table. "Where are you? Do you need help?!"

"No! Just stop asking questions, Akira, and listen! The people who… who killed your father. They're after you, again, and this time, they will not hesitate to kill whoever they have to that gets in their way. If you want real answers, you have to wait, Akira. Do as I say, and I… I will tell you everything. But please…"

"… … Fine, okaa-san." Akira closed his eyes as his little sister stared at him with large chestnut brown eyes. "I'll do as you say if you promise to tell me just what I need to know."

"Good, good… two weeks, Akira. That's all I need. And please, Akira… whatever happens, please... forgive me for all that I've done. Everything… just don't hate me in the end."

Akira said nothing more as he felt the line disconnect, eyes once again open as he gazed at the small girl cowering in her seat. Closing his phone, Akira pocketed the small object before narrowing his eyes and standing up, grabbing the tray and nodding his head over towards his little charge.

"We have to go now, Miko-chan. You ready?"

Light caramel colored eyes blinked as the small child nodded along with her brother, getting up from her seat as she trailed after the lanky teen leading the way.

'What is she doing to you now, onii-chan?'


"We're leaving now."

Akira stared at the two men now blinking up at him, holding onto Miko's hand as if the world depended on it. Miko herself kept quiet as she pushed herself closer against Akira's side, a slightly anxious feeling buried deep within her eyes.

"Ah… Akira-kun. There's actually something we-"

"I said we had to go." Akira interrupted Matsuda before he could finish speaking, eyes narrowing in silent thought. "Ryo, is that invitation of yours still up for grabs?"

"Eh?!"

"Akira-kun? What…?"

"Of course." Ryo ignored the strange look sent his way via Matsuda as he stood up, dusting his pants off with his hands. "Though there was never a decision to make, if Akira-kun wishes to see it as such, then by all means. My home shall always be open to both Akira-kun and Miko-chan."

"Thank you, Ryo-kun."

Miko smiled shyly as she ran over to Ryo and grabbed his hand, not noticing the small, almost completely imperceptible smile now hanging off Akira's lips as his milk-chocolate colored gaze softened immensely.

"Then that settles it. We best be getting home and packing up whatever we need and get going to Ryo's." Akira stated before fixing the jacket half-hazardously hanging off his shoulders and smiling over at Matsuda, the small smile which had originally been filled with warmth and comfort transforming into something brittle and decrepit. "I suppose we'll be seeing you, Matsuda-san. I'll talk to you later about… well, this."

"I'll give you a ride, if you would like." The older man replied before placing down a stack of yen and nodding over to the waitress staring at their table. "If it's not too much trouble for either of you, of course?"

"Thanks. We appreciate it." Akira cut in before Ryo could say anything else, the professor staring over at his companion in both confusion and suspicion. "C'mon, Ryo. We have to get going."

Grabbing the other free hand that was not in Miko's grasp, the boy ignored the sudden stares sent his way as he pulled companion forward, eyes trained forward as Matsuda quirked up an eyebrow at the strange display of assertiveness Akira all of the sudden decided to display.

'Something's changed… but what?'

Matsuda said nothing as he plucked out his keys from his breast pocket of his blazer and walked towards his car parked just outside, staring at the dark-haired teen's profile as Ryo kept his hold on the other's hand.

'Will you always be a mystery to me, no matter what form you're in?'


"We'll be quick, Matsuda-san." Akira quickly beckoned the two in backseat to follow him once more as the investigator parked in front of the degenerate building, the tall apartment complex slowly crumbling before everyone's very eyes.

Matsuda simply nodded as all three youths exited the car, waiting until they were all out of ear and eye shot before picking up his cell phone and dial the number he knew by heart at this point.

After two seemingly elongated rings, a stale voice finally answered on the other line.

"Well?"

The old officer sighed as he leaned his forehead forward, laying his aching head against the cool leather of the steering wheel as the voice barely even acknowledged him in all its monotone glory. Dark chocolate brown eyes narrowed as they glanced up at the apartment building that housed the boy he was trying to protect, wondering if what he was going to do was really going to help or not…

"… … We have a bit of a problem."


"Pack up everything you might need, Miko-chan, since we won't be coming back for quite awhile. No exceptions for anything whatsoever."

Akira barely glanced over at Ryo as Miko scurried into her room, grabbing a large book-bag that would no doubt dwarf her tiny frame by the time she was done squishing everything she would no doubt 'need' for their time at Ryo's apartment. Strolling into his own room, the boy sighed as he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, wondering just when he would finally get a break.

'Okaa-san…'

Akira laid his hand down on top of the bureau in front of him. His sparse room did not reflect the times both he and Miko had sat together and watched television as the entire apartment basked in silence, nor the nights where his small sister would curl beside him because the loud noises emanating from their mother's room terrified her to death. This was just another place filled with more good and bad memories not even worth remembering in the end.

Was his life always destined to be this way? Running from place to place; avoiding a past that he could not hide from, no matter how much he tried?

"Akira-kun?"

A cool hand overlapped over his own as Akira jumped, dark eyes following his every movement as the slightly smaller teen almost froze in shock, Ryo's stoic face barely centimeters away from his own.

"Err…" Akira felt the blush creep over his cheeks steadily, not sure what to say in lieu of the intense stare Ryo was now sending his way. "Is there… something you needed to say to me, Ryo?"

"Nothing particular." The older of the two whispered as he let go of the tanned hand within his grasp, allowing the frazzled boy to move away from the bureau and wander towards his closet, plucking out a large carry-on bag from underneath his bed as he passed the small mattress by. "Though I suppose hoping that Akira-kun would tell me about what has changed within him between the time we met with Matsuda-san and after would be nice."

"What are you talking about?" Though Akira knew perfectly well what Ryo was speaking of as he turned away from the 23-year-old teacher and began to rip random clothing off the hangers and throw them on the bed, his usual obsessive-compulsive nature thrown off for the time being.

"Akira-kun was so adamant about not coming to stay with me… and now, he himself has actually accepted the offer without so much as a blink in a span of merely an hour and a half. Doesn't that seem a bit strange, Akira-kun?"

"Well, I do have to keep in mind that a psychotic mass-murderer is trying to capture me, along with some self-serving detective who seems to be quite willing to do anything to use me as his tool as he trails after me like some sort of puppy. So really, things like that tend to change a person's mind once they really start to think about in a new perspective." Akira snapped as pulled his last shirt off a dangling hanger, his breaths coming out in loud pants as he felt his throat clog with emotion. "God fucking damn it. I swear, every fucking time I think 'this is it, I'm finally going to be able to get passed all of this and live my own life', something else comes along and completely takes me off guard. How am I supposed to protect my sister, when I can't even protect myself? What the hell did I ever do to even deserve all this to being with?"

Ryo winced as Akira punched his closet door, bruising his already cut up hand as he did so. Cinnamon brown eyes seemed to glisten against the darkness of the cool room, all the window shades shut as the only streak of light peaked in from the open slit of the bedroom door.

"You must think I'm so pathetic, don't you?" Akira whispered as he closed his eyes and leaned against the closet door. "I wouldn't blame you, you know. I can't even stand myself sometimes. It's amazing just how much I really hate myself sometimes... So tell me, Ryo, why do you even stay with me? There's nothing special about me that really stands out to most people… I'm just another teenager with not a lot to live for except for his little sister and his shitty mother, who barely gives a crap about her kids anyways. Hell, the only difference between myself and everyone else is everybody seems to want my scrawny ass for something..."

"If this is Akira-kun's way of attempting to force some sort of pity out from me, then he is sadly mistaken to think that such a tactic would work." Watching the boy's eyes pop open and fiercely glare at him with burning anger simmering beneath his cinnamon-brown gaze barely affected the distant teacher as he walked over to the sullen teen who continued to lean on the closet door behind him. "I will not sugarcoat some sort of speech and tell Akira-kun that he is truly stronger than he looks, and that I do not think ill of him. Akira-kun has done many things wrong from what I have seen so far, and quite frankly, has proven himself to be as flawed as any other human being on this Earth, which I am quite sure actually hurts more of Akira-kun's pride than his genuine emotional being."

Dark hair obscured the boy's vision as he looked away from his friend in slight shame, feeling the sting of truth behind the words more than he would like to admit. Silence filled Akira's heart as the normal turmoil of emotions that usually clouded his judgment was nowhere to be found within.

"Akira-kun is also quite selfish and egotistical, and only thinks of himself and how to do things that end in his way, whether it is a good thing or not." Ryo kept his even stare on the boy, not wavering in the least as Akira fidgeted within his spot. "To put it quite simply, you are one of the most destructive people I have ever come in contact with in my entire life, as you seem to invite disaster and chaos at every turn, though I am quite sure Akira-kun knows this all as well."

"Then why stay if I'm so horrible?" Akira stated as he stubbornly held his spot, barely flinching as Ryo finally stopped in front of him, faces barely centimeters apart.

"Does Akira-kun really wish to know?" Ryo whispered as he felt his hand, which lay limply by his side until then, twitch in anticipation.

"I wouldn't be asking if I didn't." The raven-haired student put forth as the small beam of light from the door reflected off his golden blonde highlights which danced across his forehead and brushed the lashes of his eyes. "If I'm all this trouble, why would you wish to put yourself through all of it to begin with?"

"Why, indeed…"

And that was all the warning Akira received before he was pushed even further against the closet door, shock framing his beautifully sculpted features before that too was engulfed by the professor ambushing him within seconds.

One moment, Akira felt as if his whole world would crash onto the ground as the words escaping his friend's lips actually managed to do the damage they meant to, and the next, the boy felt the air leaving his lungs as a pair of cool lips captured his own. Mocha brown eyes fluttered closed as his hand trailed up the older man's shoulder without his consent, dark and light locks clashing prettily with Ryo's own chestnut strands of hair, a feeling of familiarity crawling up the teen's spine.

It almost felt as if a piece of him had been returned in that one chaste kiss as Ryo finally backed away slowly, eyes narrowing in worriment as Akira kept his own gaze shut.

"Ryo…" Akira felt his body tremble in some unnamable emotion Akira could not explain as his hand kept still on the other's shoulder, not sure how to comprehend the mixture of feeling bubbling within himself. "Please…"

What Akira was pleading for, he himself did not know, but as Ryo began his descent against his own lips once more, a part of the 16-year-old withered within himself as he clutched the other man closer to his person.

'Whatever this is… don't let me lose it. Please, Ryo…'

Holding in his stifled sob, Akira squeezed his eyes shut as he felt the last vestiges of his self-control shatter within his mind.

'Please…'


End Arc One: The Destruction of Innocence