Know this - - I am always dreaming. If I did not dream, nothing would become reality. That's why my dreams are always big and bold. I know, a child would laugh at me.

But . . . your dreaming too, aren't you? You dream of a day when your children can smile their whole lives through.

Haven't you always wondered why it is? Why do people stop dreaming? All we ever want to do is protect those we love. So why?

Character: Yukimura

Manga: Samuri Deeper Kyo

Created By: Akimine Kamijyo.

Since Kazu had moved when his parents got divorced, Agito didn't know where the fuck he lived anymore.

When Agito had told Ikki what he was planning, he gave him Kazu's new address, although he warned him to be careful, since Ikki hadn't been over there, he didn't know what it was like.

Agito agreed to be careful, although he didn't think he needed it, he WAS the Fucking FANG KING, so he could defend himself against any little shit that thought they could take him on. Kazu had just gotten lucky that day.

Or at least, that's what Agito told himself as he headed to the darker part of town, as he headed towards Kazu.

And that's how Agito came to be sitting on the fire escape of the building next to Kazu's apartment, using the shadows to make him invisible.

From what Agito could tell, Kazu lived with a short black haired woman, and a surly, unappealing man.

Kazu had yet to cross the window that Agito was spying through. It seemed that the older boy wasn't yet home, even though the sun had long since set.

'Agito. . . ?', Akito's wispy voice said from inside of Agito's head.

'Yes, Akito?', Agito answered, wondering what his other self wanted to talk about this late at night.

'Are you really going to hurt Kazu? Are you REALLY mad at him?'

'Of course I am! He RAPED ME! Why shouldn't I be mad?! Why shouldn't I want to kill him?! He deserves it!'

But even though Agito said that, he knew he couldn't be really mad at the older boy. He just couldn't, and that was what was really pissing him off.

'Kazu loves you, big brother. He loves you a lot. I've seen him looking at you softly; I've seen how he watching you when he thinks you're too busy to notice. He loves you.'

'I- i know! 'And Agito couldn't help the strangled sob that escaped his throat. Even Akito noticed?

'You didn't want to notice, big brother. You wanted to pretend that it wasn't there. You knew, but you wouldn't admit it to yourself. Talk to him, but try to remain calm. I'll be here in case you need me, okay? And with that he was gone, back to the corners of Agito's mind, to sleep until he was needed.

Just as Akito's and his conversation ended, what they had been waiting for happened.

As the black-haired woman rushed to leave, someone else came in. It took Agito a moment to realize that it was Kazu. His eyes were hallow and sunken into his skull and his skin was an unnatural shade of pale combined with yellow, as if he had the flu and the measles at the same time. . . . Kazu looked like the dead walking.

The woman stopped in the doorway long enough to look at Kazu and shake her head, the man sat on a recliner and pretended to read the newspaper that was sitting next to him.

After the woman had left and Kazu started walking to a door right behind the man's chair, the man got up and moved towards Kazu.

The boy backed up, heading for the other door instead, but the man grabbed him before Kazu could make a run for it.

Agito was shocked when the man pushed Kazu down on the couch and started to caress him, trying to take off Kazu's lose pants while restraining the boy.

At first, Kazu just laid there, a dazed look in his eyes, but when the man got his hand down the front of his pants, he shot up and ran for the door he had originally wanted into. The man tried to catch up, but he stumbled and fell to his knees.

Just moments after Kazu made it into the other room and shut the door; Agito saw the window next to the one he was watching open and Kazu jump out.

The older teen used his Air treks to scale down the wall and disappear down the alley, going so fast the he didn't even see that he was being watched.

What the fuck? Agito thought, his mind didn't have time to process what he had just seen. Had that man tried to rape Kazu?

Agito sped off into the night, trying to catch up to Kazu, who was so far ahead of him it looked like he was never going to catch up.

Agito raced through the near empty streets, trying to keep up with the glimpses of Kazu he could find. Wondering when he got so fast. Wondering how he had not noticed this either.

After what seemed like forever, Kazu finally stopped. When Agito looked at where they were, he was shocked to see that they were in the middle of what looked like a bunch of abandoned buildings, somewhere downtown.

Before Agito could look around much, Kazu was off again, though this time he was moving much slower.

Agito noticed that the boy had a huge bag with him, like one of those gym bags that jocks wore around all the time.

Agito could hear the clinking of cans and the stead WHIRR of Kazu's treks but not much else.

In Agito's irritation at the lack of noise, he began to look around at the buildings they were passing.

Most (If not all) of them had some form of graffiti on them, but this wasn't like what he always saw, this was ART. The scenes were beautiful.

Each and every one of them was like a different world. A beautiful world. The colors and characters were all so beautifully drawn with different color spray paint.

Did Kazu do these? Agito thought in a haze.

When Agito looked for Kazu again, he wasn't in sight.

Fuck! I lost him again!

But then Agito heard it, the sound of paint being sprayed on a wall. Agito followed the sound until he could see Kazu.

The older boy was bent down, his back to Agito, and he was spraying something on the bottom of a picture. Upon further inspection, Agito realized that the picture was of HIM. It was Agito without a shirt, looking scared and hurt, with a black demon above him, licking his lips, pulling at Agito's clothes.

Agito crept closer, trying to see more, but his foot hit a can and the sound drew Kazu's attention from his painting to the boy that was standing only about ten feet from him, still as a cat that's been caught doing something it wasn't supposed to.

The look on Kazu's face fell from one of surprise to one of sorrow.

Agito could see the tear tracks on the teens face, could see that the hallows under his eyes were deeper than he had thought. The older boy cleared his throat and shuffled his feet before trying to gather his things and leave.

Agito, of course, stopped him from trying to leave, grabbing him by the shoulder and pushing his against the wall. Agito put his forearm to the older boy's throat, stopping him from looking away. But the older boy didn't even try to struggle, he just stood there.

Kazu shut his eyes and waited to the blows he knew he was going to get, hoping that it would ease some of his loves pain, hoping that Agito didn't hate him for what he had done, but knowing that the smaller boy would never forgive him.

After what seemed like forever, Kazu looked up and opened his eyes, gazing at his love through eyes that didn't care, eyes that didn't want to see.

It hurt something inside of Agito to see those eyes. To see the despair that Kazu was caring around. To know that he had helped put it there.

And then Agito did something the surprised them both; he hugged Kazu tightly, holding the taller boy like there was nothing left but them in the world.

Kazu looked beyond shocked, and it was enough to make Agito laugh a little. For a moment Kazu looked like his usual self, like the annoying little bitch he was, not the dead thing he had become in the last six weeks.

Kazu almost fainted when Agito laughed, he was so shocked. He hadn't been expecting it.

'. . . Agito?' Kazu said, his voice hoarse and quavering.

Agito winced at the voice, he had almost forgotten what had happened, he had almost forgotten that he had to confront Kazu.

'Kazu, who was that man that tried to have his way with you in your apartment?' Agito questioned.

Kazu's face fell to a look of horror and fear. Horror Agito could understand, but why fear?

'How did you-?' Kazu stuttered.

'I was waiting for you to come home so I could talk to you, and I saw it through the window. Now, who is he and why was he trying to get you?'

Tears slid down Kazu's cheeks and he tried to turn away but Agito didn't let him, holding him firmly in his grip.

A strangled sob escaped the older boy's mouth but nothing else.

Fine. If he wants to be difficult, I can MAKE him talk. Agito thrust his hand between Kazu's legs, massaging the older teens package, making it hard.

'N-no! P-please! I'm sorry, please! Please stop.' As Agito kept moving his hand, the older teens pleas grew more and more frantic, until he finally collapsed against the wall, his eyes shut and his body unyielding, tears still trailing down his face.

It hurt Agito to see his friend curl into a ball, making himself as small as possible, hiding from him.

When Agito crouched down next to his fallen friend, he could hear a faint mumble, leaning closer, he made out the words;

'I-i'm sorry. I'll be good. I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please. . . . Please stop. I'm sorry. pl. . .ease, i'm sor. . . ry. No, please. . . S-stop. . . '

Agito could see that Kazu wasn't talking to him, Kazu wasn't seeing him, he was seeing something else, something that left his eyes haunted.

Agito touched his friends back and he yelped, cowering back into the shadows, begging to not be hurt, begging for forgiveness for something that probably wasn't his fault. Agito clenched his teeth and tried to straighten his friend's body, hoping that he could somehow shake him out of his memories.

Agito started to pull his friend into a less crumpled position, but before he could get Kazu to snap out of it, his body jolted, straightening out on its own, until Kazu was laying straight on his back, eyes clenched tight, biting his lips.

Agito knew that Kazu was still in his memories as the older boy spread his legs and reached down, unbuttoning his pants and sliding his hand inside, touching himself, tears sliding down his face.

Agito had to stop this, he had made this happen, he had brought this memory up. He HAD to stop it.

Agito kissed the older teen on the lips, gently, softly. Soft enough to shock Kazu out of his living nightmare.

'Wha-?' Kazu sputtered, still slightly out of it.

'I love you, Kazu." Agito said, almost too soft to hear.

'But I think I hate you more.' With that, Agito turned away.