Protect You XVI


A Week Later...

Yuma was at home, taking it as easy as possible with the twins currently located in his and Ryoga's room. Ryoga's took the day off to spend time with his family and finally address his sole problem, Rio.

"Ryo, can you help me with Karu? He needs to be changed." Yuma asked, holding a crying Hikaru and an upset Kiroru. "Sure." He replied. "Come here, lil bud." He picked up Hikaru and carried him to the table. "Once we get you all clean, everything will be good, right? We don't need you having a problem when I'm out." Ryoga spoke to Hikaru, getting a yawn in response.

"Sleepy now? All we need left is your diaper." Ryoga stated softly. "Yuma, where's the new pack of diapers?" He asked Yuma. "It should be on the second shelf in the closet." Yuma answered. "Alright, give me a second, Karu. We'll have that diaper in no time." Ryoga patted the infant's abdomen softly before jogging to the closet and pulling the new tab off the package to get the necessary garment.

After Ryoga got the diaper on Hikaru and put him back in his onesie, he gave him to Yuma. "Thank you very much, Ryo." Yuma smiled. "You're welcome." Ryoga replied, giving Yuma a soft peck before finishing up his previous task. "So...do you think Rio will listen to you?" Yuma asked. "She really won't have any choice but to. Not if she doesn't care about getting the truth." Ryoga answered. Yuma hummed, looking at the twins. "Just make sure to hurry back. Bunnito will get out of school in four hours." Yuma informed.

"Don't worry, love. I will get Beno on time. We'll probably be going to visit Fë so I'll pick up something for us to eat." Ryoga kissed his family before going down to put on his shoes and drive to the hospital. "I hope everything goes well, Roru." He said to the wide eyed Kiroru. "Let's get you rested as well."


At the Hospital...

Ryoga walked up to the receptionist, receiving a smile. "What can I do for you sir?" She be asked. "I am here to visit Rio Kamishiro." He replied. "Are you a family member? Only family and proxies are allowed to visit due to policies." She inquired. "Yes, I know. I'm her brother." He replied. "Oh, alright. May you please sign your name on the sheet while I get the room number for you." The woman pointed to a clipboard as she searched the database for Rio's room number.

Ryoga complied and was given the room number 5-57. Taking the elevator, he went up to the fifth floor and to the room 5-57. Looking through the door, Ryoga saw Rio asleep. Walking in, he took out the handcuffs and cuffed her to the railings. Once she was fully immobilized, he sat down and waited for her to wake up.


Rio's eyes opened thirty minutes after, realizing she was chained, the icy blues darted hastily and rested upon Ryoga. "I'm guessing it's time to have your little talk, huh." She stated. "Exactly. Let's be open and honest. What made you go against me?" Ryoga asked. "Open and honest? Okay. You left me with him." She seethed. "I left you with no one. In fact, I decided to leave the area and try to do things the right way." Ryoga replied. "You didn't visit me for months! I was alone for months!" She shouted, fuming.

"So he told you that you were left by me. What else did he say?" Ryoga continue to inquire. "You left me to be with a guy that took you out of the gang. You told him that I should be dead anyways since there's no one to pay the bill. You told him I didn't matter anymore. That you had more now..." Pain was etched into Rio's words.

"Those were lies, Rio." Ryoga said. "How?! How are they lies?" Rio's frustration reached its peak. "Just explain yourself so I can get this over with!" Rio closed her eyes, exasperating. "Fine. I'll explain." Ryoga sat down. "Yuma took me out of the gang. That is true. He also pushed me to be productive. I was trying my best to work properly for your surgery. Sadly I was unsuccessful because he refused to give me a chance to even see you because you were in the urban part of the hospital. He paid good money to keep me out and you in." Rio's eyes widened.

"Wait...so you're saying you tried to get to me?" She asked. "Why wouldn't I? You're my twin sister." He answered. "You didn't betray me then...it was all him..." Rio looked to the ceiling, repeating the revelation. "I never did and I never would." Ryoga assured earnestly. "I wish I could kill the bastard again." She sighed. "About that, what did he do to make you end up like this?" Ryoga inquired.

"He was a monster. Horrible things are what he did." She began speaking cryptically. "That doesn't answer my quest—"

"I looked up your husband. I know what happened with Thomas. So think about that. Only my captor didn't let me go. No one was there to save me. My beautiful little boy killed by his own father a year and three months after I had him. After I swore to protect him." Her voice held profound despondence but her eyes were an icy void.

"Rio..." Ryoga couldn't say anything else as he realized the amount of trauma it had on her. "Let's end this quickly, shall we?" She said loudly as to interrupt the incoming silence. "I don't want anything else other than for us to not act as if I did nothing at all." She continued. "It's not entirely your fault, Rio." Ryoga countered. "How will you explain that to your stepson and his best friend? Last I checked, that is how this all started. I resented you based on misunderstandings." Rio looked at Ryoga earnestly.

"You and I shouldn't complicate anything else. You live in the SD. I control the UD. Let's keep it like that." She proposed. "I'm not okay with that." Ryoga pushed. "Fine. Holidays." Rio sighed. "Holidays?" Ryoga repeated. "I'll arrange a limo to escort your family and friends to the headquarters on holidays for exclusive dinners that you don't have to pay for." Rio explained. Ryoga began pondering. "Does that suffice for you?" She huffed out.

"If they're okay with it, I am too." He answered. "Then send a note tomorrow, so I know." "Alright, Rio." Ryoga gave her a smile.

"Now get me out of these cuffs and get the hell out of my room!" She ordered, glaring at him. "Okay. Okay. Calm down, hothead." He laughed, releasing her leg from the cuff only to reflexively hold them below his chin. He looked to her and saw mild annoyance. "Don't ever call me that." She growled. "Fine. I won't." He smirked as he took off the rest of the cuffs.

Once he was done, she sat up and looked at him again. "Out." She pointed to the door. "I'm glad we talked." Ryoga told her honestly. "Yeah yeah." She waved dismissively at him as he left. Now alone, Rio took in the room before falling.

"Healing up is gonna be a bitch."


A.N:

Alright people, as I went on with writing this, I was thinking about this series. What it's about. How it is supposed to turn out. Things of that sort. Of course they're still up in the air. I have little idea how anything is going to go, I'll simply go with the flow *pun realized as I wrote it*. However, when it came to the theme of the story...the theme of the series, I was oddly confused as to what it is. Most things I write and conceptualize about are mainly developed subconciously; I have no say over what it becomes until I find out exactly what it is. Now with that being said, I took the time out to realize what it is that this series is about and with it in mind, I feel it's only right that I have it flow with the plot. (Being as this story is nearly finished, how much more you ask, not a single clue.) So for this Author's Note, I have a question you can leave in a review:

What is the theme of Save Me and Protect You?

Hint: The general theme is the same, but there's two different messages with each.

See you in Chapter 17~

Lu