A day later Akito returned from his business trip.

Yuki was lying motionless on the bed, lost somewhere in the darkness of his own thoughts. Before speaking to anyone or unpacking, Akito had come to Yuki. He scooped up the weak body with no resistance and held it close to his chest.

"Did you miss me, my sweet?" was the murmured whisper in Yuki's ear. He nodded fervently, not trusting himself to speak.

"Of course. Well I'm home now, and I won't be leaving my little Yuki for a while."

Gentle fingers caressed Yuki's hair, just above his ear. He clung tightly to Akito's jacket. He was terrified.

A single tear laced itself down his cheek. Akito caught it before it escaped off his jaw.

"My my, my love has missed me." He kissed along Yuki's jaw and neck and Yuki relaxed into the kisses.

Akito didn't know he had left the Estate. Akito didn't know anything was wrong. If he could just go through with this… if he could maintain his perfect act, Akito might never suspect anything was amiss. Yuki kissed him back, ignoring the anxious churning in his stomach.

Suddenly Akito stopped.

"What's this, my sweet?"

Yuki's heart stuttered. His breathing hitched. He knew what it was.

He had tidied the shattered glass from the bottle he had thrown, but in his anxious state he had carelessly cut his hand.

Akito now held the hand tightly before him, staring intently.

Yuki cursed his own stupidity. He knew he had to tell the truth now; Akito would hear from his staff anyway.

His tongue felt thick and useless as he struggled to form the words.

"I… smashed a bottle." He intended the confession to be bold, but somewhere along the way it became warped into a strangled whisper. Yuki clutched tighter to Akito's jacket, like a baby animal.

"You smashed a bottle? How? Why?"

Any warmth was gone from Akito's expression now, replaced by an icy stiffness.

Yuki couldn't answer. He couldn't say himself why he'd done it, let alone explain to Akito. Besides, no reason would prove adequate justification for Akito. Yuki knew from experience that Akito often hated the lies and excuses more than the misdemeanour itself.

So he said nothing. And waited.

Akito stood suddenly, forcing Yuki to release his hold on him. Seeming agitated he left the room and Yuki knew he was going to talk to his staff.

He waited. There was no point doing anything else. When he was a child in trouble he would run from Akito, but that only prolonged the anxiety and increased the punishment. It was far better just to accept it.

Akito returned shortly. His face gave nothing away; it was so still and lifeless it could have been carved from marble.

"So Yuki… the head of staff says you refused to leave the room when the clients first arrived… that you shouted at them… threw a bottle at the door. Is this true?" His voice matched his impassive face, level and calm.

Yuki was sure only those who knew Akito as well as he did could hear the razor-sharp edge of danger beneath that. He knew there was no point lying… but confessing was so difficult. It went against all instincts of self-preservation.

"Yes." He managed finally, but that was enough.

Nothing in Akito's face changed. He rose slowly and turned to face Yuki.

"That was very naughty Yuki."

Yuki had to fight not to cower away. How many times had he heard those words? He had hoped never to hear them again.

"So… I leave, for two nights, and you think you're the boss, hmm? You're a tough man when Daddys not home? Is that right Yuki?"

Yuki didn't have an answer to give and Akito didn't wait for one. He drew his fist back and punched Yuki's cheek.

The force sent Yuki reeling backwards on the bed. Akito stepped onto the bed and punched him again, this time catching the other side of Yuki's face.

Yuki couldn't help the gasp that escaped him. He could taste blood. His head was pounding. His breaths were coming painfully and rapidly.

Now standing above him on the bed, Akito forcefully kicked Yuki off the bed. His body hit the hard floor with a dull thud. It didn't hurt especially but now Akito was above him and Yuki covered away.

Akito pounced and before Yuki could move he was being kicked. The pain came sharp and sudden and unexpected. His stomach, back, arms, legs, head… Nowhere was safe. Just as he moved to protect one part another would be struck.

He tried to shield himself, but he didn't try to fight back. And with every blow Yuki knew this was his own fault. He had brought this on himself and Akito was right to punish him.

After some time Akito stopped. Yuki was panting heavily, his breath coming in painful gasps. He realised he was whimpering and tried to stop. His body was painful, he felt terribly fragile. When he sat up slightly a trickle of blood and saliva escaped down his chin.

When his breathing was more regular he chanced a glance at Akito. He was panting slightly, staring down at Yuki with a wild anger in his eyes.

Yuki didn't dare rise so he stayed lying on the floor, at Akito's feet.

"Oh Yuki, I would love, I would so love, to lock you up right now." Even through his pain Yuki's body tensed in response to these words. No. Please no.

He stared with wide, desperate eyes at Akito, feeling the rich carpet against his tender, throbbing cheek.

"Unfortunately, I have already promised your sweet body to a business partner tomorrow night. How annoying, hmm?"

Thank God. Some small part of Yuki celebrated this news.

"In which case," Akitio continued, "Bring me your things."

And Yuki wanted to cry. Of all the things Akito could have said, those four words were among the ones he least wanted to hear.

He didn't move, merely continued to stare at Akito with pleading eyes from the floor.

"Yuki, I won't ask again. Bring. Me. Your. Things."

Like a puppet on unbreakable strings, Yuki rose. Against all his instincts, all his desires… he walked to his small room. His body was painful and breathing deeply caused a sharp pain in his chest. All this seemed unimportant however, mere background, as he reached his cabinet and drew forth an old weathered tin.

He turned obediently and walked back to Akito. He stumbled from pain and exhaustion and desperation. Finding himself on his knees, he continued as such, crawling towards Akito. It made no difference anyway. Whether he walked or crawled his value was always that of a gutter rat.

When he reached him Akito snatched the tin from Yuki, eliciting a tiny whimper from him.

"Now, what have we got today then?"

He seemed to be enjoying himself. There was a smug smile distorting his usually beautiful face and his eyes were bright with malice.

As he opened the tin and scanned the contents his lips turned up in a derisive sneer. He snorted. With one fluid movement he upturned the box, letting its few contents tumble to the floor.

Yuki gasped in agony and Akito laughed.

"What trash," he muttered, as Yuki gathered the items carefully, clutching them tightly to his heaving chest.

"Please," he surprised himself by finding his voice. "Please don't."

Akito looked like this was exactly what he had been waiting for. His smile widened and Yuki didn't like it one bit.

"Ahh Yuki, my little pet. You know Master doesn't like it when you're upset." He wiped a thumb across Yuki's cheek. Yuki hadn't even realised he'd been crying.

"But you must be punished, and this is the most effective way."

"Please! You can lock me up- lock me up until I have to see the client tomorrow- I promise I'll be good!"

"Ahh Yuki, my poor stupid rat. You have just proved what I was saying. Now, open your hands."

Feeling like a scared child once more, Yuki let his hands fall open. Akito examined the contents. He selected one; the watch.

"This looks like the only decent thing left here Yuki." Yuki squirmed at the sight of the watch in Akito's spider-like vice. It had been his father's, the only thing he had left of him. His mother had put it on him the day she gave him away to Akito. It still ticked. Yuki found a strange comfort in listening to the rhythmic sounds of the watch of a man he never knew.

He didn't think he could bare to lose it.

Akito dropped it disdainfully and selected another; the teddy. As though he was six again Yuki got the strongest urge to cuddle the bear. He was old and scruffy, but a key piece of Yuki's childhood. He couldn't sleep without him for years after he came to the Estate.

After a long moment of examination, Akito dropped the bear and picked up the third and final item from Yuki's shaking hands. It was a shell, beautiful and spiralled. Yuki could so clearly remember the day he got it. The only time he went to the beach. Akito's mother had taken them. There were staff too, but mostly Yuki could remember playing with Akito, Ayame, Shigure and Haru. They had built sandcastles, had ice-cream, played in the sea. When Yuki found the interesting twisted shell he thought it was beautiful. When he showed it to Akito, who agreed, Yuki had thought it was the most beautiful thing.

Now he watched as Akito twirled the shell between his fingers, a bemused look on his face.

"How foolish," he muttered.

Yuki felt a child again, helpless before Akito. He clung desperately to the watch and teddy, staring intensely at the shell. He knew it was stupid to hang onto such things, knew that sentimentality did not suit the business he was in. But he couldn't let them go.

"This will do," Akito said finally, and Yuki felt as though someone was pressing down on his windpipe.

Akito went to his bedside cabinet and picked a book off it. He slowly and deliberately put the shell down. Yuki watched with bated breath.

"Remember Yuki, I don't want to be doing this. You did this, because you were naughty."

"Please Akito," Yuki whimpered desperately. But Akito was past listening to reasons.

With slow precision, he picked up the book and brought it down on the shell.

It shattered into pieces.

Yuki felt as though a hand had grabbed hold of his heart, as he watched helplessly as the beautiful patterns were reduced to fragments.

When the awful crunching had subsided Akito removed the book. Pieces of Yuki's precious shell stick to the cover. Akito flicked them languidly off.

There was silence then, though Yuki could feel the wetness on his cheeks and the tremble of his lips.

"That should be enough." Akito said, quite matter-of-factly. "Get yourself tidied up. I'll expect to see you at lunch." He rose and left without a backward glance.

Yuki was left kneeling on the floor, silently sobbing.

His shell. His shell. It was so beautiful, so so beautiful. And now it was gone. He felt as though a part of himself had been shattered too.

After some time he looked down at his hands. He was still clutching the watch and teddy.

Two left. He carefully put them in his box and closed the lid. He held the cold box close to him. He never wanted to let it go.

Two left. There had been six once. Six things so precious to Yuki.

There was the macaroni necklace. He had been perhaps five when he made it, and so proud. It was better than everyone else's, the tutor had said. When Yuki was seven he had watched as Akito, still almost a child himself, put it in the blender with yoghurt and strawberries. He had made Yuki taste the concoction. Yuki had cried himself to sleep.

There were the football cards Ayame had given him. Yuki had loved them so much. And at twelve he had watched as Akito burned them.

And, most importantly, his mother's pearl earrings. As a child Yuki often gathered his mother's jewellery, be it rings or earrings or broaches. He supposed he must have snuck the pearl earrings into the pockets of his shorts the day she took him to the Estate.

They had been his prised possession; his most valued and loved item.

He was sixteen when he lost them. It was his first client... the first time Akito made him sell his body. He had fought back, resisted, rebelled. He had actually broken the woman's nose.

The woman received a large sum of money both as compensation and for her silence. Yuki received a month in solitary.

When Akito finally let him out, Yuki was quiet and submissive, nervous of loud sounds and bright lights. But more scared of solitary.

The woman returned to the Estate that night, her nose professionally fixed. With a dark smile Akito told Yuki the two conditions he must meet to stay out of solitary; he must satisfy the woman, and he must give her the pearl earrings, by way of an apology.

Yuki did both.

His fear of solitary was overwhelming.

She smiled widely at the earrings when he presented them and put them on immediately. Yuki stared at them as he fucked her, hating her, hating Akito, but hating himself more.

He was sick afterwards.

That was the day he began using alcohol as a means of drawing the shutters down between him and the world.

And now he sat, slumped by the bed in Akito's room, clutching the box which contained his remaining two precious possessions. He gathered up the shell fragments, but knew Akito would not stand for him keeping them. He swept them into the bin.

His body ached. He felt exhausted, and very old. More than the beating, the destruction of the shell had drained him.

.

That night Yuki lay awake in the slowly-fading darkness. It was one of those rare nights, which occurred every couple of months for Yuki, when he didn't have a client. Unable to sleep, his active mind fighting his exhausted body, he rose. As usual he was unsurprised to find his trembling legs led him to his cabinet. This time however, he didn't draw forth a bottle, but the old weathered tin.

He carried it back to bed where he clutched the cold, uncompromising metal as one would a sleeping newborn.

Only two left.

Akito stirred after some time, as the birds were beginning to call to each other. Yuki's body tightened automatically as Akito slid closer, his grip on the box tightening until it was painful.

Akito noticed.

"Oh Yuki, you are pathetic," he cooed. "It's a stupid box full of stupid things." His exasperated tut was audible.

"You know, I wanted to make you my partner Yuki. I wanted you to rule this company with me. But how could I be expected to do that with you like this? Hmm?"

Yuki didn't respond.

"You're nearly nineteen Yuki and you still cling to this rubbish. It's time you let go of that pitiable past of yours."

Yuki was frozen. Akito could remove the box from him now. He could destroy it. Could tell Yuki to return it and sleep without it. Could kiss Yuki. Could fuck him. Could hurt him.

He could do anything.

But he didn't.

Akito merely sighed and turned over. He was asleep again in minutes.

Yuki's body gradually relaxed. But he didn't sleep that night.

He felt... empty.

.

Hey! I'm sorry not much happens in this chapter, I promise the next one will be up soon. It's because I meant it to be one chapter but it became too long. So, I hope this is okay! Thank you for your patience :)

Thank you everyone who reads this. And thank you gasaiyuno for the guest review you left, it was really lovely :)