Hey, how's it going y'all? Akaku-chan here~! I want to say thanks for so much support, I really appreciate all the reviews, the follows and the favourites. So thank you my awesome fans! Enjoy chapter eight.

All the rights belong to, Tadatoshi Fujimaki.

Chapter Eight, Reasons.

Akashi opened his eyes and felt tears sliding down his cheeks. He put his hand gingerly to his face.

'Shuzo... shit! How did I forget?' He said, rubbing his temples. Thinking about it now, everything became clear. And he knew the reason he couldn't remember as well, after Shuzo left despite what Akashi told him, he really suffered. He hid away in his room for days, after school started it was a fight to make him attend, he didn't want to leave his bed, and he most certainly didn't want to make new friends. He was thirteen when he became a "fugitive," as Imayoshi politely put it. But that was a story for another day. After the "incident" (that's what Akashi liked to call it) he really opened his eyes. He regretted the way he acted. So he pushed it all from his memories. Pushing away Nijimura Shuzo with them.

'Hi, Aka-chin.' Murasakibara said, standing in the doorway.

'Oh, Hello, Atsushi. Do you need something?' Akashi said, slightly surprised.

'Um... I heard you were sick.. and Muro-chin said not to... but I brought you a snack...' Murasakibara said, blushing slightly. 'I... made it myself...'

Akashi smiled as he accepted the parcel. Opening it, he let out a little gasp of surprise.

Inside the parcel was the most beautifully crafted cake Akashi had ever seen. He smiled down at the gorgeous creation. 'Thank you, Atsushi, it's beautiful.' He took a small scoop of icing on his finger and popped it in his mouth. 'Mm, it tastes just as good as it looks.'

Murasakibara blushed again. 'Thanks... Aka-chin...'

'By the way, is Tatsuya with you now?' Akashi asked, taking another bite out of his cake.

'Muro-chin? Um... no... he should be on his way though... why...?'

'I need to ask him something.' Akashi replied.

'Oh, Well, I'll go call him...' Murasakibara walked out of the room.

Akashi could hear him talking through the door. 'Muro-chin~? Are you coming yet~?' Akashi heard Murasakibara whine into the phone. Silence followed for a minute. 'But I miss you...' More silence. 'Okay, thanks, I love you...' Murasakibara walked back into the room, a mischievous smile creeping across his face. 'He said that he was coming, even if it means he has to run...'

Akashi laughed. 'Thank you, Atsushi.'

The door flew open at an alarming speed and Himuro flew into the room. 'I'm here, Atsushi! What's wrong?!'

The smile melted off Murasakibara's face and was replaced with the look of an abandoned child. 'I was so lonely...'

'I'm sorry, but I had class... forgive me?' Himuro asked, grabbing the bigger boy's hand.

'I guess, but I think Aka-chin wants to talk to you first.' He answered, winking at Akashi.

Akashi watched amazed, he just witnessed an amazing act of manipulation.

'Ahem,' Akashi cleared his throat. 'I was wondering, you wouldn't happen to have Nijimura Shuzo's phone number, would you?

'Nijimura? Yeah, why?' Himuro asked, confused.

'Oh, I just wanted to... thank him for his help yesterday...' Akashi said, looking away.

Himuro raised an eyebrow. 'Yesterday? It was two days ago now, you slept all through yesterday.'

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After a little bit of yelling and confusion, Akashi learned that he did in fact sleep in all day yesterday, and that would explain why he was so hungry. Himuro explained that Akashi did wake up once or twice, but after going to the bathroom, he just went right back to sleep.

Akashi was shocked, he didn't even remember waking up. But he certanly felt better. After scaring Himuro with his yelling, Akashi got the phone number and Himuro and Murasakibara took their leave.

Akashi took a deep breath and tapped the number into his phone, holding his breath he put it to his ear.

It rang four times before Nijimura picked up.

'Hello?'

Akashi's voice hitched in his throat.

'Hello?' Nijimura's voice said again.

'Shuzo? It's me, Akashi.'

'...Akashi? Can I help you?' Nijimura asked, sounding politely confused.

'Shuzo... can we talk... in person?'

'Shuzo? Aren't you being a little too familiar?' Nijimura said, slight interest laced in his words.

'No, I think I'm being familiar enough. Please come as fast as you can.' Akashi said, trying to keep his voice steady.

'Of course, I'll be there right away, You're still in the Hospital Wing, correct?'

'That is correct.' Akashi hung up the phone and waited, trying to keep his calm.

Akashi was getting even more anxious. About ten minutes later, he heard a small knock on the door, it opened and Nijimura walked in.

'You called, Akashi?' Nijimura said, gliding confidently into the room.

Now that Akashi remembered him, slight pain went through his chest, Akashi only meant to ask Nijimura a few questions, but as he opened his mouth, he felt a huge mixture emotion overcome him.

'Please, call me Seijuro. It seems only right, don't you agree?' Akashi said, his voice shaking.

Sensing danger Nijimura spoke up. 'Seijuro, please. Let me explain...' He started, but Akashi cut him off.

'Let you explain?! You want me to let you explain? Explain what exactly? Are you going to try to explain why it is you never came home? Not once did you even come over, did you not come home at all?! I was a wreck! If you came back once, only once, then maybe I would have been alright! You promised you wouldn't forget me! You promised that you would come see me! Do you know how depressed I became?! You never even answered your Goddamn cellphone! Where the hell did you go?!' Akashi shouted, his breath hitching in his throat.

Nijimura listened to Akashi's explosion without even opening his mouth. Only now did he talk. 'Listen, Seijuro, I understand why you're angry, but let me explain.' He cleared his throat and sat down. 'When I first came to school, I was having a really hard time, I missed you so much, that it hurt. I wanted to call you every night, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I was worried that you didn't miss me, and that you would take me for a coward. You were always so strong, standing next to you, I felt weak. After a few weeks, I still couldn't help but think of you. So, I was just about to cave in when a member of the middle school council approached me, and asked me to join the council. I was surprised, I heard a rumour that first years never made the school council in middle school. I wasn't very interested at first, but I went to the first meeting and I met Imayoshi. So, listening to Imayoshi talk, I realized something, I realized, that I really wanted to join the council.'

Akashi stared at him, he didn't understand why Nijimura was telling him all this.

'So I did, I joined the council and I finally felt strong, I felt the way that I felt when I helped you on the beach. I didn't feel like I needed to depend on you anymore.' He held up his hand when Akashi tried to protest. 'I didn't say I forgot about you, I said I didn't need to depend on you. And then when holidays finally came, I was so excited that I could tell you everything, that by the time I got home I had a list of things I wanted to tell you. When I got home, I was just about to go see you, when my mom told me she hadn't seen you around at all while she was at home. So I went by your house, but your Caretaker told me that you wouldn't see any guests. But I persisted and told her to tell you it was me, she went upstairs and when she came back down, she told me that you refused to come see me. I was so horrified that you didn't want to see me, that I ran all the way home, I was too scared to come visit you again, it was only when the holidays ended that I calmed down enough to realize that your father never really... cared for me. So I tried to call your phone, but in my haste to leave, I had forgotten my phone at school. When I got to school, I tried calling you right away, but you didn't answer. I left at least thirty messages, I finally decided that you must have lost your phone somehow. So I caved in and called your home phone. It was your father that I talked to.'

Akashi looked at Nijimura in shock, 'My father? Why did my father talk to you?'

Nijimura shook his head, 'At the time I couldn't tell you, but I can now. He told me that I was to stop calling you, or he was going to call the police. He continued to give me big lecture on how I was a horrible influence on you, and that I ruined your future.'

'That's not true!' Akashi yelled, but Nijimura held his hand up again.

'I know, but that's not the point! He was trying to convince me to stay away...' He looked down, clearly ashamed of himself. 'And I believed him... I knew I couldn't call you, I didn't want to get arrested.' He dropped his face in his hands. 'I thought you really hated me, I thought I really did destroy you... the next time I heard of you was when I went home again and I saw you in the paper. When you were suspected of armed assault...'

Akashi fell back onto his bed. 'I didn't do it... It wasn't me!' He said, on the verge of screaming now.

'I know, at the time I was confused. I knew you would never attack someone. At least, the Seijuro I knew wouldn't.' He gave Akashi a warm smile, 'So when the school year started and I saw your name on the first year roster I was so relieved, I knew that meant you got off. But also the thought of us going to school together again got me so excited, I went out right away on the first day to find you, but then my past insecurities came back, and I began to think, 'what do I do if I find him? What if he hates me? What if he doesn't remember me?' I was so scared that I stayed away. Then later that evening I heard that they caught a red-haired first year out of bed, and I had a feeling. It was only a hunch, but I went as fast as I could, because I knew it was Imayoshi who caught you, and I knew that he saw your private file.'

Akashi stared at him, dumbfounded. 'So, you did look for me? It was all my fault?' Akashi stood up as fast as he could. 'I'm sorry, Shuzo. I should have listened. Forgive me?

'Of course, Seijuro, I can't stay mad at you.'

Akashi smiled, 'Thank you, Shuzo.'

Nijimura pulled Akashi into a tight hug, Akashi hugged him back, his eye wandering to the door behind Nijimura, he saw it close slowly and quietly, but just before it closed, Akashi was sure that he saw the familiar gleam of a shockingly blue eye.

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Well, that's all, it was kind of short but the last chapter was pretty long so this was sort of a break I guess. Tell me what you thought, and I'll see you next chapter.