Moonlight shed a faint light into the bedroom, seeming not to clarify it, but to through it into deeper shadows. Ryo lay in the darkest of these shadows, arms wrapped tightly around a pillow, and face scrunched up to prevent tears. 'I will not cry' Ryo thought vehemently to himself, but even as he thought this tears had begun to well up in his eyes. "Bastard!" Ryo moaned into the depth of his pillow, as a sob escaped from his lips. Ryo tightened his arms around the pillow, and allowed himself to cry.

When the first rays of dawn illuminated the room, Ryo was still awake, eyes swollen and face stained with tears. Heart still heavy with pain, yet realizing the futility of trying get to sleep, Ryo made his way to the shower, in a manner that was more like a man walking to a funeral then to the bathroom.

After showering and getting dressed, Ryo opened the door that, hours before had been slammed into Dee's face. Lying curled up in ball, practically at his feet, was Dee, with such a tormented expression of guilt written on his face that Ryo nearly forgave him right then and there. All thoughts of forgiveness left his mind however when Dee opened his bleary eyes to look up at Ryo. Before Dee could say anything, Ryo had stepped over him and was walking briskly toward the door.

"Ryo, wait!" Dee shouted as he scrabbled to his feet, by which time Ryo had slammed the front door behind him.

Forgetting that he had never had a chance to change out of yesterday's clothes, Dee race after Ryo. Sweating and panting he finally caught him just outside the doors to their apartment.

With remarkable force for a man who had only minutes ago woken up, Dee shoved Ryo roughly up against the building, causing a small moan of pain to escape Ryo's lips.

"Dee let go of me!" Ryo commanded, trying to show no emotion or pain that Dee could clamp down upon, and turn against him. All of that resolve however was quickly thrown aside when Dee leaned even closer into him and whispered. "Ryo, please stop being angry with me and understand that I am doing this for your sake. Ryo please know that I lov..."

That was too much for Ryo, all of the cool collectiveness that he had eventually been able to build around himself shattered, and he exploded like a dam full of water.

"How the hell can you say that you love me? After you have ignored me for the past few weeks with the exception of an occasional fu…" At this point Dee clamped one of his hands forcefully against Ryo's mouth, while simultaneously look around nervously to see if anybody heard. This only served to make Ryo even angrier, and he violently ripped Dee's hand from his mouth. "What now" he shouted, completely unaware of the crowds of people that were around them. " Have you become ashamed of me! Is that why you won't come near me in public, is that why…" Dee gently shushed his lover, trying to stop him from saying any more, but that proved to be the last straw.

Giving Dee on last scathing look, Ryo practically ran for the subway station. Dee would have followed him if he hadn't been scanning the faces of the people that had gathered round them as they fought. Looking at each of them he felt his heart drop as one pair of eyes gleamed at him with a maniacal half crazed expression. Fear, filled Dee's heart, as their eyes locked and a small smile grew across the face of this mysterious man.

By the end of day, things were if anything worse for Ryo. He had dreaded Dee coming into work and having to face what promised to be a hell of a speech, but by the end of his shift Dee had still not checked in, and Ryo was becoming worried. He told him self that it was probably the just that he was afraid of what Dee could be doing rather then if he was ok, but his heart told him differently.

"Where are you?" Ryo muttered to himself, as he leaned against a brick wall on his way home.

Almost as he said this he caught sight of a very familiar raven-haired man, and noticed him walk briskly into a bar behind him. Walking toward the building were he had seen Dee disappear, Ryo couldn't help but feel a wave of relief fill him, as the knowledge that Dee was safe and well overwhelmed his mind, but there still was a desperate need for him to know what it was that his lover was doing. Walking into the bar, he was first plunged into darkness, but slowly his eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room. Soft rock played around the otherwise nearly silent room. It was late at night and the few people that were there seemed to still be recovering from there long day of work. So, it was that he heard the angry tone of Dee's voice from across the room, when he would have otherwise not heard anything at all. Sneaking closer he saw that Dee was talking to a tall half crazed looking man.

"I have warned you before about coming near my apartment before!" Ryo heard Dee growl at the man standing next to him. "If you ever touch him, I swear I will kill you with my bare hands! And fuck the fact that there isn't any evidence that I can pin on you." He continued in a deadly whisper.

'What the hell is going on!' Ryo thought as he listened to this rather confusing conversation. Holding his breath, he listened the other man's soft reply. "Oh yes Dee," he purred silkily. "I promise." Ryo didn't know if it was the tone of voice or the discomfort of his lover, but a shiver went up his spine, and he retreated to the back of the bar so as to avoid Dee as he stalked out of the bar, and into the glaring neon lights of New York city.

More confused then before Ryo left the bar through the back, not wanting to run accidentally into Dee. It was a cold night and Ryo couldn't help but feel a longing for the warm arms that Dee used to drape around him on nights like this.

A sound of cans falling behind him caused him to swing around and look into the darkness behind him. Suddenly he was hyper aware of the narrow ally that he was in, its shadows, and a rather sudden presence behind him. Turning around he saw the man that Dee had been talking to only moments before. With a sudden burst of fear he notice that the man was holding a brick high above his head. Shutting his eyes, all that Ryo could remember after that was the shooting pain in his head before darkness over took him.

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I am so sorry it took so long to put this out, I promise that the next one won't take so long. Thanks for all of the reviews past, present, and future. (hint, hint) Oh and FYI, next chapter will my last so wish me luck. -