A/N: Right, midweek update is early this week because the weekend update is looking doubtful. I'm going to MCM Manchester, and Friday is panicking and packing day because cosplay never comes together until the last second (might be my fault for letting my best friend talk me into complicated cosplays but that's not the point). So, yeah. Haruto and Akina and Ryoga and Kaito being idiots, Love appears Fury turns up and Honour is back. Yay! Alright, so thanks for all the reviews, keep them coming and enjoy.


When Kaito's alarm rang the next morning, he woke a little more reluctantly than normal. He had stayed up until the early hours trying to find answers about Rio's location for Ryoga but, of course, there were none and he couldn't question Ryoga when he'd finally got him to sleep.

His reluctance to get up wasn't just due to his sleepless night through. There was a warm body curled up against his side, his head buried in his shoulder and tangled up in Kaito's arms. After his late night, Kaito had been too exhausted to go far, so had quickly changed and collapsed into bed next to Ryoga. The youngster seemed to relish being wrapped warm in his arms although he was currently muttering about the alarm and how it was too early to be up on a weekend.

"Are you always this cuddly, or is it just because you're so needy at the moment?" Kaito murmured. Ryoga grumbled something into his shoulder, likely telling him to shut up. "What was that?"

"I said you kissed me so shut up."

Unfortunately it was too early and Kaito was exhausted so his mind wasn't as sharp as it should have been. So at Ryoga's words, he smiled tiredly and kissed his forehead. Ryoga jerked back slightly and stared up at him before reaching up and pressing their lips together in a light kiss. And because he was still half asleep and a little confused- because Ryoga kissing him and having made the first move still seemed pretty surreal- Kaito pulled him gently closer and deepening the kiss. His hand absently brushed Ryoga's shoulder and the skin under his tattoo was unusually cool.

That snapped Kaito awake fully and he drew back slowly, being careful not to work Ryoga up with the action. He untangled their arms and slipped out of bed, getting up and dressing quickly.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Kaito said, not looking back at him.

"Better…" Ryoga replied quietly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Don't lie," he snapped. "What the hell was all that about?"

"A mistake," Kaito replied. "Just like last night. Nothing more. We're both tired and you're hurting and want comfort. Like we said to Haruto. You're in pain and I want to make you feel better but that isn't the way to do it."

There was silence for a moment and Kaito risked a glance back to see Ryoga's fingers brushing his tattoo. "I had no choice."

"You don't need to explain yourself to me, Ryoga," he said. He wanted answers, of course he did, but he also knew Ryoga wouldn't have done it willingly. He must have thought there was no other way. "I know you wouldn't have done on a whim."

"You don't trust me anymore."

"That's not true." But there was a voice in the back of his mind whispering that it was true. It wasn't Ryoga's fault that he'd been tormented and broken by his own emotions and probably left with no other option, at least that he could see, than to hunt souls. But that left him as a hunter. "I just wish you'd have trusted us enough to come to us with this problem."

"We would have lost Yuma in the time it took to get in touch with you."

Kaito frowned. Had that been how they got him? During that duel with Charity? He frowned slightly. They had seen him coming out of Mother Grace's home. The same night Ken had finished things with him. Had the two been related? Had it all been to get Ryoga to hunt for souls and then break him down to unleash his true power? He sighed and sat on the bed in front of Ryoga, who's apparently managed to sit up even though he still looked half asleep despite obviously being pissed off.

"What do you want me to say, Ryoga?"

"I want to know what's going on in your head," Ryoga snapped.

There was something hurt and scared in his eyes that tugged in his heart. "You think I hunted souls because I wanted to?" Ryoga closed his eyes and Kaito reached over, gently stroking his cheeks. "I am the last person you have to explain your situation to. And I am also the first person you should have come to. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I tried."

Kaito frowned. He didn't remember Ryoga ever… On the roof? Ryoga had called to him when he was leaving. He'd been nervous and edgy and obviously had something on his mind. But Kaito hadn't noticed. He said about needing to figure things out before there had to be more souls taken. And Ryoga had just fallen silent after that. Ryoga had been trying to tell him then? He'd been trying and Kaito himself had said the stupidest thing possible when Ryoga was looking for reassurance in his situation.

"Ryoga, I-" He paused and Ryoga opened his eyes slightly. "I didn't realise it was so important. I should have listened to you."

"No," he laughed. "It's fine. This is my problem, right? You've got bigger things to deal with."

Kaito bit his cheek, struggling not to blurt out that he did have bigger problems, and one of those bigger problems was the group Ryoga was now working with. Lashing out would help no one, but he wasn't going to lie to himself, Ryoga turning into a hunter hurt. He didn't have many friends, and neither did Ryoga really, but he considered the younger boy one of his closest. One of his best friends. And there were points where Kaito thought Ryoga was closer then Yuma.

So why did Ryoga struggle to tell him?

He understood that he must have thought there was no other choice, and much as it hurt, he couldn't be angry at Ryoga for that. He probably would have done the same if he honestly believed the people he loved were in imminent danger. He'd hunter Numbers- and souls by proxy- to save Haruto. He understood the conflict. But he'd been alone back then. Ryoga wasn't.

Ryoga moved out of his hold off the bed and Kaito was pulled back to the real world and away from his thoughts. The younger boy was already getting dressed. And a part of Kaito wanted to pull him back and hold him and reassure him. But his gaze was drawn to that symbol again and he couldn't.

"Who's Honour?"

The tension that filled Ryoga's body was enough to let Kaito know it was a nasty question. The air went cold and heavy and the urge to reassure Ryoga was almost too strong. Who was Honour to cause such a powerful reaction in Ryoga? Kaito hadn't seen him act like this since the WDC and dealing with IV.

"Ryoga?" he snapped. "Who's Honour?"

"Just stay out of it!" Ryoga yelled, glaring back at him. "This is my problem to deal with!"

"I want to help you, Ryoga!"

"Kaito? Shark?" Haruto yawned from the door.

Kaito sighed and got up, striding over and pulling him up into his arms gently. He was already full dressed but not totally awake. "What are you doing up so early? You need to rest to get stronger."

"You were hurting," he whispered, closing his eyes and burying his head in Kaito's shoulder. "I knew you were hurting, so I had to come and make sure you were ok."

Ryoga scowled and turned away, walking off silently. Kaito frowned and sat Haruto down on the bed, patting his head gently. "Wait here."

"Why is Shark still upset?"

"Because what Ryoga is going through is…" He frowned, trying to figure out how to explain it and make sense to Haruto. "If I left you without any explanation, just that I didn't want to be around you anymore, it would hurt, wouldn't it?" Haruto nodded. "And Ryoga has been forced to hunt souls to protect us."

"Like you did?" Haruto said.

"Yes," he replied with a sad smile. "Like I did. And it's hurting him. He's suffering so much inside. Imagine agreeing to hunt souls to protect someone you love only for them to walk away from you like they never loved you?"

Haruto gazed at him for a moment, tears slowly welling in his eyes before he threw his arms around Katio's neck, holding him tightly and crying into his shoulder, begging him not to ever leave. With a soft sigh, Kaito wrapped his arms around his little body and rubbed his back gently.

"I'll always come back to you, Haruto," he promised, gently drawing away. He smiled and stroked his cheeks, brushing away his tears. "I swear, I will never leave you." Haruto nodded and wiped his eyes, sniffling slightly. "But right now, Ryoga is going through this and thinks he can do it alone."

"He can't."

"No, he can't. And right now I'm the only one who knows what's wrong with him." Haruto nodded. "I need to help him."

"Ok," Haruto said. "Go after him then. Or he'll be all sad like Dad was when she left."

Kaito frowned at the mention of their mother. After she'd left there had been no sign of her. She'd just vanished from their lives. Kaito had tracked her down but he didn't attempt any contact. He just wanted to know she was alive and out there somewhere, even if she wanted nothing to do with them.

"Or you when Chris left." There was silence for a moment before Haruto took his hands. "I want to help him too."

Kaito nodded and took Haruto in his arms again, carrying him out and trying to figure out where Ryoga would have gone. Luckily, he'd picked up his stuff and Kaito could track his D-Pad. He hadn't gone far.

They walked down the steps to the path by the rivers and Kaito set Haruto down, letting him run up the bank to where Ryoga was sitting. Ryoga smiled slightly and let Haruto sit next to him and lean on his arm. Kaito stood at the bottom of the bank, watching silently.

"Why aren't you feeling better yet?" Haruto whispered.

"Because everything I thought I could trust is wrong," Ryoga replied, closing his eyes. Haruto sighed and laid his hands on Ryoga's. "I'm sorry we woke you."

"Sleeping in Kaito's bed always makes me feel better," he said. "Did it help you?"

Kaito folded his arms, trying not to seem as bothered by the question as he was. He wanted to help Ryoga. He'd hoped if nothing else, Ryoga found some comfort in his hold. But the way things had ended wasn't exactly ideal.

"Until I woke up properly and remembered why I shouldn't have been there."

Haruto sighed and closed his eyes, squeezing his hand. "But… why?"

There was silence for a while before Ryoga sighed and laid a hand on Haruto's head. "Because your brother doesn't trust me anymore, because the last person I thought I cared about me turned out to just want to destroy and because I can't accept his pity."

"What pity, Ryoga?" Kaito snapped. "I want to help you."

"Shh," Haruto hissed, glaring at him. Kaito was a little taken aback by being shushed like that but Haruto smiled up at Ryoga. "Hunting souls doesn't make you bad."

"Tell that to him," Ryoga replied. "Every time he looks at me he just sees the hunter in me."

"No," he replied. "He's scared."

"Scared?"

"Haruto," Kaito said.

"Shh," he said again before returning to Ryoga. "He's scared he's losing you. And because he's not sure where his feelings are coming from."

"That's enough, Haruto," Kaito said firmly. Haruto fell silent and Kaito sighed, letting his arms fall to his side. "I have no interest in Ryoga like that."

"That's a lie," he argued.

"Haruto." He climbed the bank slowly and sat next to Ryoga, leaning on his knees, watching the water. "The thing is, Ryoga, regardless of whether I have feelings for you or not, there are a multitude of things in the way. For one you are fourteen. You're a child and that means that even if I did have feelings for you and nothing else mattered, it would be completely inappropriate."

"Since when did you care about the rules?" Ryoga muttered.

"There are some rules that matter more than others."

It wasn't exactly easy, but he had to keep reminding himself that, no matter how similar they seemed sometimes, Ryoga was four years his junior. Even when they put everything else aside, it wasn't a viable option.

"You're the one who kissed me first," he argued.

"You're only interested in my affection because your boyfriend finished you."

The moment he said it, Kaito knew it was the wrong thing to say. Ryoga glared at him silently for a moment before turning away and getting up. Haruto glared at him before Kaito sighed and got up, grabbing his arm and pulling him back around.

"Ryoga, I shouldn't have said-" Ryoga froze and Kaito stopped himself, biting his lip. Something was wrong. More than just his poor choice of response. "Ryoga?"

Ryoga turned and glared up the bank, pain filling his eyes again. Kaito and Haruto turned, following his gaze to a pair of hunters standing at the top of the bank. One was the one from last night, Honour, who was grinning down at Ryoga. The other was a slightly taller boy in a formal, military like uniform, which black hair swept over his eyes. Kaito wasn't even sure how the boy could see through that mess but he was tapping his foot impatiently, arms folded and glaring at them.

"Well isn't this sweet?" Honour sneered. He held out his hand and clenched his fist. Before Kaito even had time to be confused, Ryoga gasped in pain. He turned just as Ryoga dropped to his knees. "You belong on your knees before me, Ryoga, don't forget that."

"Ryoga." He hurried over, pulling Haruto down away from the hunters, and kneeling at Ryoga's side. He was trembling and panting, clutching his chest, apparently in agony. "What did you do to him?"

"Shark…" Haruto whispered, rubbing his shoulder.

"Oh, don't pity him," Honour laughed. "He deserves everything he gets."

"You leave him alone!" he cried.

"Haruto, don't," Ryoga hissed. "Just stay out of this."

"But you're hurt."

Ryoga was struggling up to his feet but Honour twisted his fist and Ryoga gave a sharp cry, falling back to his knees. "Ken…"

Kaito's eyes widened and his gaze snapped over to Honour. Ken? Honour was Ken? That just made it all so much worse, didn't it? Honour laughed, walking slowly down the steps and stopping front of them.

"Oh, Ryoga, I'm not as weak as him." He tilted his head and glanced down at Kaito. "I would have destroyed him for what he did. I'm not as weak as him. I also wouldn't have let his actions dissuade me from something I wanted like he did."

Kaito glanced between Honour and Ryoga before gently taking Ryoga's weight and helping him up to his feet. Was he implying Ryoga and Ken's break up was due to his harsh words with Ken? Like he needed more to complicate his relationship with Ryoga.

"This is Fury, by the way," Honour said, stepping aside. "Let him show you what he can do."

Fury smirked and threw out his hands, sending him and Ryoga flying back. They hit the ground hard and Kaito groaned, struggling to get up. It wasn't as strong as Ryoga's power last night but it was enough to knock them away. Honour laughed and strode over, kneeling at Ryoga's side and pulling his head back by his hair, leaning down and whispering to him.

"Ryoga-"

"Let me go!" Kaito whipped around at Haruto's scream. Fury had pulled Haruto up and was walking away with him under his arm. "Kaito!"

"Haruto!" Kaito yelled, scrambling to his feet. "Haruto!"

Another blast of energy from Fury sent him flying back to the ground and Kaito hissed, his body slow to react this time. Honour was laughing and Kaito glared over, barely able to move this time. Honour was sitting next to Ryoga, running his fingers through his hair, still murmuring softly to him. There was something strange in Ryoga's eyes and he was barely moving, just lying there as if in a daze. Honour glanced over and smirked.

"What to do, Kaito?" he purred. "What to do?"

"Let him go," Kaito hissed, keeping half an eye on how far Fury had got with Haruto. There was a point where he'd have to abandon Ryoga and save Haruto, but not quite yet. He had a little longer to save him. "Before I make you regret it."

"I think he'd rather I didn't," Honour replied. He leant a little closer, moving his hand against Ryoga's side, and Kaito was stunned by the small, weak moan that escaped the younger boy, his body arching to his touch. "See?"

"Ryoga…"

"Only wants comfort from someone else," he laughed. "You know that. He's in such a mess he doesn't care who. You knew that though, right? You didn't think you were special?"

That struck a little too close to home. This was why Kaito had wanted to keep Ryoga at a distance. He knew Ryoga just wanted comfort and he shouldn't expect anything more. But knowing something and making your feelings match weren't the same thing.

"Haruto!" Honour tensed and Kaito glanced back over to see Akina blocking Fury's path. "You put him down!"

Ryoga's eyes cleared slightly and Honour clenched his jaw, turning slightly. That was when Kaito realised it: Honour cared about Akina. More than hurting Ryoga. He was worried about her. So much so, whatever hold he had over Ryoga was slipping. Kaito forced himself back to his feet and ran towards them but that dark energy formed a barrier between them and the children.

"Haruto! Akina!" he yelled, trying to force his way through the barrier. "Haruto!"

"Akina?" Haruto said quietly. "Kaito!"

"I said put him down!" Akina cried, stamping her foot. "Now!"

"Or what?" Fury hissed, raising a hand.

"You touch her and they won't find your body!" Honour snarled.

Kaito glanced back as Fury hesitated. Honour's eyes were blazing, actually glowing with power. Even the other hunters feared Honour. But in that moment of distraction, Ryoga was free of his power and slammed his knee into Honour's jaw, knocking him far enough away for him to scramble weakly to his feet and reach the safety of Kaito's side, practically falling into his arms as he stumbled. Kaito held him tightly and stroked his back gently. He was panting and shaking and all Kaito could do was hold him and comfort him.

"Akina…" Kaito glanced back at Honour's groan, who was doubled over and clutching his chest, as if in agony. He chocked and clenched a fist against the ground, visibly shaking. "Akina!"

"Put him down and duel me!" Akina demanded.

"No!" Honour yelled.

"If you win, you can have my soul and take Haruto," she continued. "If I win, you lose yours and Haruto is safe."

"You don't know what you're dealing with," Fury sneered, all but dropping Haruto. Akina laughed. "Fine. I'll duel you, little girl."

"No, Akina," Kaito snapped. "You can't-"

"She'll be fine," Ryoga murmured, leaning heavily against him. "She'll win."

"Against this kind of duellist?"

"She'll win."

"Of course I will!" Akina cheered. "I'll protect Haruto!"

"No," Kaito snapped. "If you want to duel someone, duel me!"

"Shut up," Ryoga said. "Just put a little faith in someone else for once."

Kaito gazed down at him for a moment before gently squeezing his arms around him and nodding. Akina cheered spun in a circle, a trail of black energy swirling around her for a second before engulfing her for a moment. Ryoga smiled and Kaito tightened his grip on him slightly as Honour screamed for her to stop.

The darkness dissipated into sparkles and Akina reappeared. Her hair had been stained black light the other hunters, a dark visor hid her eyes and her outfit had become an elegant, if slightly ripped, gown.

"She's a hunter?" Kaito hissed. "And you knew?"

"All Mother Grace's kids are or were hunters," Ryoga murmured.

"My name is Love!" she called, a cobweb like duel disk appearing on her arm. "And I won't lose!"

"Haruto," Kaito said softly as Haruto got to his feet and ran over. Haruto pressed his hands against the barrier and Kaito smiled. "It'll be ok. I won't let anyone hurt you."

"But Love…"

"I'll be fine," she called over. "After all, I'm protecting you. I can't lose."

Fury clenched his fists, his own metallic duel disk appearing. "Fine, hunter or not, you'll lose."

"Let's duel!"


In the Next Chapter: Love shows how strong she is when she stops playing games and Rio confronts Fate.

Lovely Darkness