This contains spoilers through the Building 5 arc (the arc the anime stops partway through) and is set a couple years afterwards. (I have not read beyond that arc, so no further spoilers.)
All the text in bold italics are lyrics from the song "Take Care" by Drake featuring Rihanna.
I know you've been hurt by someone else
I can tell by the way you carry yourself
-Take Care, Drake ft. Rihanna
"There'll always be next year, Supervisor." Inori advised.
"Yeah, yeah." Samon muttered.
The annual New Year's Tournament had ended, and they were in the infirmary. It had been entertaining as always, yet the outcome was the same. Hajime and Building 13 won, again.
Samon scowled. What was it about that guy, anyway? Was he just born like that? He never even trained – his deputy Yamato did, but he couldn't keep up with him either. Inori lost to Yamato too, but considering that Inori never trained either, he did ridiculously well.
Inori gave him a look, a look he'd been giving him a lot lately. Patience, mixed with what, pity?
There was a knock at the door, and Nurse Kaguya entered. Guess the doctors were busy with some other division, but that figured. He and Inori weren't too bad off, considering who'd they'd just tussled with.
They got wrapped up, though Samon's eyebrow twitched watching Inori shamelessly ogling Kaguya.
"Would it kill you to be more discrete?" Samon asked, after she left the room.
"Yeah, I don't feel great about it, her being an android an' all." Inori drawled.
"Then why do you do it?" Samon retorted.
Inori shrugged. "Instinct? I don't know, but you're supposed to be resting, Supervisor."
Normally, he would lob something right back, but for some reason he paused. What was he getting so worked up about? Losing to Hajime? That was nothing new. Inori's behavior? He'd done this sort of thing as long as he'd known him. Somehow, it just didn't seem worth it.
"Eh, maybe you're right." Samon said simply.
"Supervisor?" Inori questioned, surprised.
"Don't make me repeat myself." Samon grumbled, pulling his legs up underneath him and planting his chin on his hand, ending the discussion.
Inori said nothing, only gave him that same look from before. It pissed him off, just like every other time he'd done it. He'd let it go for now, but he was going to figure it out, sooner or later.
I've asked about you and they told me things
But my mind didn't change and I still feel the same
Samon replayed his fight with Hajime as he went about his day. He had lost to Hajime so many times it shouldn't faze him anymore, but it did. It always did. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't beat him.
Enki was like that too, only worse. Hajime… annoyed him. Always had, even before Enki was imprisoned. Definitely didn't like the guy, but after the truth came out, his beef with Hajime became less personal.
Just more of the same, really, and he sighed. He'd thought he'd had it, after Enki's death. That the torch had been passed, the connection was made – Enki's unwavering strength and determination, and Noriko's compassion and protection. He would continue on, their sacrifices would not be in vain. But it was just so damn hard. Without them here.
Just like when Enki was imprisoned: Samon's fuse got a bit shorter. He got angrier, and then a whole lot more. He'd needed something to fight off those curious stares, unspoken judgements about Enki, about himself, about "Traitorous Building 5." Something to ease the pain, of being his brother's jailor, knowing he was locked up under his feet, every minute of every day.
To make it worse, he still didn't know were that elf was, in spite of everyone's efforts. He hadn't been able to avenge anyone – his brother, Noriko, all the prisoners who'd been experimented on - and even if he had the chance, would he have the power to carry it through? He trained and trained, but he couldn't match them, couldn't match Hajime. Hell, he couldn't even match Kenshirou.
He wondered if his brother had ever had the sense of falling short, over and over again. He chuckled to himself. Maybe that's where he had Hajime and Enki beat, after all, because try losing all the time and see what that does to you. And never knowing why.
It was character building, to say the least.
Though Enki, for all his talents, was a crappy communicator. Sometimes on dark nights, he was furious with him. Why couldn't he have just shared what was happening with him? Why couldn't Noriko? Why did they have to take the whole damn thing on by themselves?
And for that matter, why did he have to find them in that nightmare of a death bed? He knew Houdzuki carried it around too.
How was Samon supposed to have known? To even have guessed? His brother barely spared him a word, all those years training together. It had added to the chase at the time – if it took 1000 years to catch up, he would – but now…
Why couldn't Enki have believed in him earlier than the end?
He checked on his inmates. He'd always thought people deserved a second chance, maybe one of the few things he and Enki had easily understood about each other. He tried to go the extra mile, get people back on the right path, but he'd picked one of the most hopeless places possible: a maximum security prison.
Maybe he was just fooling himself: trying to solve a problem that could never be fixed. Chasing a dream that could never be caught. Wouldn't be the first time.
I've loved and I've lost
Samon found himself staring at Inori's left arm as they were eating breakfast. They'd been eating more meals together. He couldn't really say how it started, except Inori just showed up with food one day, then he did it again, and now it felt routine.
You really couldn't tell, with his uniform on, that anything had happened. That didn't stop Samon from remembering, though.
"Geez, Supervisor. That still bother you?"
"Of course it bothers me. I'm your superior."
"This arm the Doctors hooked me up with works fine. Hell, I think it's better than the original."
"Don't say that." Samon replied, stabbing into his food.
Inori was quiet. Samon could feel the weight of his eyes, but to him, that arm was the heavy price of a lesson learned the hard way. He'd had his head so high up in the clouds that he couldn't see people were worried about him. That people needed him, and he wasn't there.
It wasn't something he would soon forget.
What's a life with no fun? Please don't be so ashamed
I've had mine you've had yours, we both know, we know
"Hey Supervisor, me and the guards are throwing a party. We want to invite some of the inmates too. You know, the well-behaved ones." Inori informed him one night, and Samon gave him the okay. It was good for morale, both the inmates' and the guards', but the inmates needed it more.
When he walked into the room they had converted for the occasion, the party was already well under way. Food, drink, mahjong. Cell Block 8 was present, along with a few others, and it did make him smile, seeing them having fun. Like maybe it was all worth it.
He looked over at Inori, hamming it up, starting bets, and he looked back at him, nodding slightly before continuing his merriment. Samon suspected this was his idea. To cheer him up.
Inori knew him. He hadn't realized how much so until that conversation in the water garden. He'd known exactly what to say to cut him right down to the bone, and everyone there knew it. It was a performance, but it didn't have to be.
On the flip side, Inori occasionally seemed to know just the thing that would help, and Samon had to admit, this party did just that. It was simple, it was stupid – as he watched his guards chase each other down over who knows what – and it was enough.
When you're ready just say you're ready
When all the baggage just ain't as heavy
Samon had finished his regular sparring with Number's 2 and 58 but was surprised when Inori approached.
"Hey Supervisor, how about we spar?"
Salmon frowned. "You serious?"
"Yep." Inori answered. Inori had never volunteered to spar before. But this got the attention of the remaining inmates and guards, who now clamored for a fight.
"Come on, Supervisor! Go for it!"
"It'll be awesome! The Supervisor versus the Deputy!"
"Best fight in Building 5!"
"Alright, alright." Samon called out. "Let's give it a go, then."
They squared off, ready to go hand to hand. For a big guy, Inori moved well. Like he'd always thought, he could be great if he put more into it. But in a crazy way, that's what he liked about Inori. He was okay where he was.
Inori put up more of a fight than Samon expected. He still didn't lay a hand on him, but it was a good show. Good enough that Samon wondered if he was holding back.
"That wasn't half bad. We should do it again, sometime." Inori offered afterward, and Samon agreed, much to the satisfaction of their audience.
You hate being alone, well you ain't the only one
You hate the fact that you bought the dream and they sold you one
It was the end of another day, and Samon flopped onto his bed. Closed his eyes, cleared his head. Was surprised when Inori came to mind. They'd sparred again, today. It was a regular thing now, the inmates and guards talked it up, and Samon could admit he looked forward to their matches.
They were interesting, made him get creative with how he moved.
His and Inori's relationship had improved a lot after Enki's escape, but Inori wasn't magically a changed guy. Samon still had to get on him about slacking off, make sure he actually did his job. Tell him to stop setting a bad example, remind him he was the second highest ranking officer in the building. So, it was nice, spending time like this. Different, but nice.
He was running through their match, thinking of other things he could have done. After awhile, he could feel himself start to space out, doze off. His vision changed around, and he let it.
He and Inori were still there. Out in the courtyard, but alone. It was a small change, and he didn't pay it much mind. He didn't pay it much mind when they came together either, started to dodge and exchange blows. Felt himself begin to sweat, saw Inori do the same. It was all so typical, he didn't even think much of it when Inori got close, leaned down and kissed him, felt his hand on the small of his back.
It was only when that hand made its way lower, brushed against the top of his tail that his eyes sprung open, and he realized exactly what he had been daydreaming about. But the strangest part of all was, even after realizing it, some part of him wasn't shocked: more like he'd just remembered something he'd forgotten for awhile.
He'd rather it had stayed that way.
Tryna run from that, say you done with that
On your face, girl, it just don't show
Samon scowled, head down, marching through the halls. It was the end of the workday, he'd been called over to Building 13, and he was already in a foul mood. His ridiculous daydreams had kept on. He even found himself doing stupid things, like asking Inori about his horse races, just because he wanted to spend more time with him, hear him talk about something he liked. See him happy.
He got to their main office, and was told by Yamato that Hajime was busy at the moment. His eyebrow twitched as he sat down, tapping his foot.
Eventually he heard Hajime approach, in some heated argument with a voice he didn't recognize. As they came in view, Samon recognized the guard with him as Hajime's younger brother, Hitoshi.
"Have dinner with me tonight, Big Brother! It's been ages!"
"How many times do I have to tell you, I'm busy!"
"With what? Feeding Kuu? Come on, I took this job just to spend more time with you!"
"Against my wishes! Why didn't you just stay home and stay safe?"
"I'm stronger than you think I am!"
Samon's heart involuntarily clenched in his chest, and he was aware of the compassionate looks he was getting from Yamato and Seitarou. Even Hajime looked slightly embarrassed when he saw him there.
"Hello Supervisor Gokuu! How are you today?" Hitoshi greeted him, breaking the awkward silence.
"Fine, but you mind if I talk to your brother for a minute? It's a long haul back, and I've still got some things I need to take care of."
Hitoshi nodded, and Samon stepped into Hajime's office with him. It went fast enough, some bureaucratic nonsense. Samon rose, made his way to the door, grabbed the handle, then held firm for a moment, long enough to say, staring straight ahead:
"Hey Hajime, have dinner with him."
Samon didn't look back to see his reaction, only opened the door, waving in farewell to Hajime's guards, but as he walked away, he heard Hitoshi yell out, "Really Big Brother? That's great! What do you want to eat? Here's some of my ideas…"
He shook his head with a wry smile. Never thought that would happen – he and Hajime actually agreeing on something. Guess there really was a first time for everything.
They won't get you like I will, and my only wish is I die real
'Cause those truths hurt, and those lies heal
This… thing with Inori was turning into a real pain. Samon had been hoping it would just go away after awhile, but it was holding on. Like a tick.
He missed it, being able to just hang out with his guards, his inmates, without wondering where Inori was, or if they were in the same room, how far apart they were. When he didn't worry about whether Inori enjoyed their time together as much as he did.
It had never really bothered him, not being with someone… never being with someone. He'd always had plenty to do, to keep busy with. He hadn't felt like he'd missed out.
But now there was this seed of hope, growing. How, he didn't know, with Inori gambling, smoking, drinking, littering, and lazing around the division like he owned the place.
Inori was also a helluva lot taller than he was. That damn kiss in his dream - the kiss that started this whole thing – was seamless. Inori would have been bent in half if that was real. Which it wasn't. That was the whole point here. None of this was real. Only to him.
He decided to pull that hope out by the roots one night, after finding some dirty magazines in the rec room, probably hidden there by Inori himself for his favorite inmates. Because that was something else about Inori. He liked women, in print and real life.
And to prove this to himself, Samon flipped the open the cover. Made himself look at the curves, the skimpy clothes, when there were any at all. The bedroom eyes, the pained expressions of pleasure.
That's what Inori was looking for. Not… him. And that was damn painful to admit, because it also meant admitting that he really did want something with Inori in the first place.
Pushing me away so I give her space, ah
Dealing with a heart that I didn't break
If only it were that easy.
They still had meals, still sparred, still talked. All of it only leaving him with a craving for more.
Inori was different, too. He was actually doing his duties, doing them well, in fact. He was improving in their matches, too. The matches were kind of torturous at this point – he wished Inori had never suggested this – but he had too much pride to back out now.
Sparring should just be sparring, not the pathetic one-sided mess it now was, and he paid for his carelessness, his inability to focus when Inori got him square on the jaw and sent him flying, to the stunned silence of the crowd. It would have been really awkward if Inori had stopped, but he didn't, just came right back at him, and Samon appreciated that.
Appreciated that he really needed to focus – let go of all this and focus – at least for now, and that was probably the nicest thing that Inori could do for him at the moment.
And you've seen all my mistakes
So look me in my eyes
"What was up with that, Supervisor? Your head off in the clouds somewhere?" Inori asked him afterward, when they were alone.
"I underestimated you, that's all. It won't happen again."
"Better not." Inori replied, with a smile that Samon couldn't actually read, but a smile that nevertheless triggered an embarrassing blush on his face. Thankfully, it was hidden under the exertion of the fight, and Inori then simply walked away, lifting in his arm in farewell.
It's my birthday, I'll get high if I want to
Can't deny that I want you, but I'll lie if I have to
In his rooms for the night, Samon thought about that damn fight, that damn smile. Cursed himself for feeling like this. Cursed the pool of heat in his groin that would not go away no matter what he said, did, or thought. No matter how hopeless, how foolish, how inappropriate this was. He was Inori's boss.
And he was scared too. Scared that this was turning into a similar situation as before. He was only thinking of himself, what if he missed something, messed something up because he was distracted?
He had to do something. He had to take care of it, get some relief. Anything to be able to act okay during the day, as his attention went unwillingly, agonizingly to his deputy and he just couldn't take it anymore. The throbbing, the pulsing, the pressure that had no where to go.
He slowly reached below his waistband, first offering a quick apology to whoever was listening, and to Inori, that this was all he could come up with to do. Scared that there was nothing else, but also scared that there was no going back from here.
We all have our nights, though, don't be so ashamed
I've had mine, you've had yours, we both know, we know
Samon read the letter, seeing but not comprehending. It told him his grandfather had died suddenly, an illness.
There would be a funeral. It would be in a few days. And it would be small. His parents. His grandmother had passed many years earlier.
He contacted the main office, requesting leave. It was granted.
He told his guards, they assured him they could handle things while he was gone.
He told Inori, as evenly as he could, told him he'd been doing a good job lately, to watch out for everyone. Inori gave him a blank look in return, then cocked his head to the side.
"No can do, Supervisor. I'm going with you."
"We can't both go, Inori." Samon snapped.
"I liked your grandfather. I want to pay my respects."
"Inori-" Samon started, flustered, shocked, all his crazy feelings about Inori mixing with the oncoming grief, but Inori cut him off.
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way, Supervisor. Take your pick."
Samon looked him in the eye, knew he was serious, didn't understand this, didn't understand any of this. Wanted to fight, but knew this was not a fight he would win.
"You packed?" he asked.
"Yeah."
"Let's go, then."
You can't sleep thinking that he lies still
So you cry still, tears all in the pillowcase
Grandfather was buried next to Grandmother. They went back to Samon's parent's house when they were finished. Ate, reminisced. It was mostly quiet.
Inori had to regret coming here. It was all depressing as hell.
"Samon, you don't look well. Why don't you go up to the mountains?" his mother suggested one night, as they sat out on the porch. "Meditate there. You will find your peace."
He doubted it. Their family was dying out, one by one. In some ways, it was impressive they'd made it this long, considering they all lived like monks, devoted to martial arts, but that gave him a little smile. He wasn't as out of place in this family as he'd thought he was, as a child.
If things had been different, he thought Enki and Noriko would have married. Things weren't different.
It had weighed on him before all this, that he could be the end of the line. But with Inori and whatever this was, it felt even worse. The first and only person he'd ever had feelings for could in no way provide an heir for the Gokuu clan.
Another failure of his.
As he was thinking about it, Inori came out to smoke, and his mother repeated her offer to him. "Thank you, Auntie, that's a good idea. We'll do that!" Inori answered for them both.
You don't ever have to worry
You don't ever have to hide
He and Inori wandered around, mostly in silence. The family land felt more like a graveyard than a training ground.
It was hard to explain his memories of this place. How certain groves of bamboo were more familiar than others. The waterfall, the boulders, the inclines.
He took a dip in the lake. It wasn't warm out, but as numb as he still felt, Inori, like some horrible joke, was setting him on fire.
And like most his plans, this one too backfired, because Inori peeled his clothes off and jumped in. If Samon didn't know better, he'd say he was doing it on purpose. Walking close to him, pulling his shoulders back. Showing off.
Samon shook his head under water. He must have it bad, if he was imagining Inori on board with all this.
I'll be there for you, I will care for you
I keep thinking you just don't know
Samon didn't find his peace, and they returned to his parents', who soon announced they were leaving. Off to train. That seemed to be how everyone in this family showed their love for each other. Train. Train. Then train some more, though they offered for him and Inori to stay as long as they wanted.
They did, hanging around the house during the day, and walking around during the evenings. He showed Inori where he went to school. They got ice cream on the way home. In his delusional mind, this was turning into something else.
They sparred in the courtyard, Inori's idea. Was he imagining this too? That their matches were more a dance than an actual fight. Their hits had no energy behind them. More like caresses.
Inori was lingering in his space, and Samon let him. Like all his senses were dulled, slowed. And when he got close to Inori, when Inori could side step, get out of there, he just didn't.
He made the mistake of looking over at Inori, who was looking right back at him, and they stopped.
"Hey, Supervisor?" Something about this filled Samon with dread.
"Yeah?"
"Am I reading this right?" Inori asked, gesturing between them.
His mind whirled. Inori couldn't possibly mean what he thought he meant.
"Reading what?" Samon replied, hating the shrillness of his voice.
"How about I spell it out for you then. You want us to go to bed?"
Samon was floored by shame. He almost couldn't believe this was happening. He'd been caught, and part of him wanted to run. Go to the mountains, just get the hell out of here.
But, something kept him in place, and it was probably the only thing he really liked about himself. Maybe he wasn't a winner, but he didn't quit. He'd face this, no matter how ugly it was.
"I'll put in a transfer request for you, once we get back." Did it again. Fell on his face. Who else but him would take Inori on as a guard? He'd only been working well for the last few weeks. Would Inori even go? He'd told him he thought of the guards in Building 5 as his brothers. Thought of Samon as his brother. Oh, God.
"Nah, that'd be a pain." Inori drawled. "Lotta unnecessary runnin' around every night. Might as well just stay where I am, don't you think?"
Inori was smiling at him, and Samon couldn't figure it out.
"Still need me to spell it out?"
Inori stepped closer to him, and Samon got tunnel vision. He stopped breathing when Inori crouched down, basically took a knee. He straightened up when he felt Inori's hand on the small of his back, pulling him close. Closed his eyes when Inori leaned in and kissed him. His first. Sighed instinctively when Inori pulled away, and opened his eyes when Inori spoke.
"We got the place to ourselves. I figure we might as well make the most of it."
"Inori," He had wanted that to come out as a question, but it came out the way someone would say their lover's name. Inori noticed, leaned in and kissed him again, slow. Took his time with it, when he moved his lips against his, and Samon felt himself start to sway, get dizzy.
Inori pulled away again. "Let's go in, yeah?" He couldn't remember Inori ever asking him so many questions, and he continued, as they closed the door behind them and started walking through the halls.
"My room's fine and all, but how about we go to yours?"
Samon felt like he was walking on air, but not in a pleasant way, more like he couldn't get his feet under him. How could this be happening, as Inori shut the door to his room, started unbuttoning his shirt. Inori never did anything fast if he could avoid it, but he always moved with a powerful fluidity. This was no exception.
When Samon reached down to undo his, he couldn't get a grip, his fingers kept slipping, and his tail started to swing like a pendulum, an old habit of his, something he did when he was nervous. Something he had worked hard to stop, because it was basically like swinging a red flag around.
"Having trouble?" Inori asked, strolling over, reaching for the buttons himself, having no difficulty getting them loose and Samon wanted to yell that of course he could get his shirt off, he didn't know why he was having trouble right now, to just give him a minute, but it was too late, Inori had finished and was sliding his shirt off his shoulders for him too.
His tail only swung faster, when Inori crouched down again, and reached for Samon's belt, in no rush, like this was the most casual thing he could be doing, undressing his boss in his bedroom in his family's home.
Samon jumped a little, at both the sound of his trousers hitting the floor, and the sudden sensation of air against his skin. It was strange, not having to crane his head up to look at Inori. That continued to be strange as they moved to the bed, Samon on his back, Inori bracing himself on his forearms, forming a cage around his head.
Samon wasn't sure what to do with his arms, so he rested them on Inori's. He wasn't sure if he was embarrassed that he had his pants off and Inori didn't, or grateful. He wasn't sure when Inori moved from kissing his lips, to his neck, to his collar bone what he was supposed to be doing. His tail was still moving around, awkwardly, since he was part laying on it, and it was mussing up the sheets, but he couldn't stop it.
Yeah, he'd thought about him and Inori together. Kind of. He'd never really gotten very far with it, honestly. He'd always felt too guilty and it always seemed too implausible. Now he wished he had, as Inori leaned back on his knees, moved lower on the bed and gripped Samon's sides, started kissing him on the chest, lingering over his heart, his heart that was beating uncomfortably fast.
Wished he had when Inori stopped, sat up, starting undoing his own belt and tossed it over the side of the bed, slid his pants down past his hips then kicked them off too. Then he leaned back down, hooked his fingers under the sides of Samon's briefs.
"It'll be easier if you lift your hips." Inori murmured, leaning down to kiss him right below his belly button, then looking to see his reaction. And Samon did it, lifted himself up, and Inori slid them off, skimming the sides of his legs the whole way down, until he was bare as the day he was born, and he was dizzy as he'd ever been, heart hammering so loud he was sure Inori could hear it and blushing right up to the tips of his ears, as Inori gave him a long once over, following the spirals and whirls on his limbs.
"Inori?" he managed, actually identifiable as a question this time.
Inori looked up to him, waited for him to continue.
"I… We… I don't think I…" Samon stuttered, getting himself more worked up each time he choked on it, but still, Inori waited.
"I've never… You're a lot bigger than me…" Samon finally managed to get out, and he hoped Inori would understand, because he felt humiliated. Why couldn't anything just go easily? Why did he have to trip and stumble with everything he did?
Inori leaned down, nuzzling him on the side of the neck. "Ah, you were worried about that?" he asked lazily, just as lazily as he'd been doing everything tonight. "I already figured this was your first time. You put all your energy toward other things. Hey, was that your first kiss, too?"
Samon eyes went wide, and Inori continued. "That's just like you, Supervisor. Take care of it all at once, but… I wasn't thinking we'd do that. I don't think it'd feel good for you. I was thinking something more like this."
Inori moved back, and Samon watched him, in a daze, remove his final piece of clothing as well, then grip him under the thighs and around his back to pull him up onto his lap, and Samon froze, not just at the suddenness, because of course Inori had to prove him wrong and do something quick for a change, but at the sensation, his heat against Inori's, chests flush.
Samon wrapped his arms around Inori's neck, legs around his waist and held on as Inori took hold of his hips then rolled his own, canting up into him while at the same time guiding him down. His breathing got short, fast, erratic, and he gripped on harder, as Inori changed up his rhythm, but it wasn't until a steady hand encircled the base of his tail that he climaxed with a cry, and Inori echoed back with a growl deep in this throat and followed him.
He sagged over Inori's shoulder, shaky as the aftershocks ran through him, and was surprised when he noticed a dark spot appear on the sheets below, then another. Realized he was crying, and once he did, his diaphragm started to spasm as pitiful, hiccuping cries fell out of him, unwanted.
All his doubts, his worries about this, combined with the sheer physicality of it had him rattled, and his cries only grew louder when Inori wrapped his arms around his back and pulled him close, humming into his ear, some tuneless thing that Samon never wanted to stop.
If you let me, here's what I'll do
I'll take care of you
"Hey, Inori?" Samon asked hesitantly.
"Hmm?"
Samon wasn't sure how long they had stayed locked together has they had, but they did eventually separate, wash themselves off, and were back in bed, resting.
"… Why did you want to do that with me?"
Inori turned on his side, looked him in the eye, brushed a hand through his hair, but Samon didn't waver.
"That's kind of a complicated question, Supervisor. I guess the simple answer is, you saved me."
"What do you mean?"
"When you said I could be a guard, that you'd take me on. I didn't really care about it, still don't, but I did it because you wanted me, thought I could be something. You know I'd probably be dead, don't you? Killed or in prison, if you'd never come up to me.
"I've watched you save a lot of other people too. Because you believed there was good in 'em when no one else did. That's where you're different from your brother. He's a great man, but I don't think he ever really let anyone into his heart. I see why you were chasing after him for so long, I felt it too. Just wanted him to open up, share something, anything, and he never did.
"You, I feel your heart all the time. It's why I went with you. It's why I've stayed by your side. It's what saved me."
"But you saved me too." Samon replied, emotional. "You were there with me, after Enki was imprisoned, when I took over Building 5. When everyone thought me and my brother were trash. And, you believing in him, in me, is why I was able to fight him at full strength, so I got to finally see the truth for myself. And if you hadn't been there after he died… I don't know what I would have done. You even came here with me, to Grandfather's funeral…"
Inori smiled, wrapped an arm around him. "Well, you know what they say, 'What goes around comes around.'"
We'll change the pace and we'll just go slow
"Hey, if you don't care about being a guard, why have you been working so hard lately?" Samon asked Inori over breakfast the next morning.
Inori smirked at him. "Ain't that obvious? Trying to get your attention."
Samon was dumbfounded. "The sparring too?"
"Still hate it. Even getting up early every morning to eat with you, what a pain."
"Are you serious?"
"Yep."
"Well, what are you going to do now?"
"Not sure. You want to do this again?"
Samon blushed. "Well, yeah…"
"Guess I'll keep at it then."
"Umm… one more thing."
"Yeah?"
"Are you going to keep calling me 'Supervisor?'"
"It is kind of kinky, huh?"
"Inori!"
"Sorry, sorry…"
