Note: If you are confused about the flask Rie is searching for, you can check chapter XI - Brothers, the conversation between Rie and Daitokuji in the Osiris red dorm for reference.

Chapter XXI

Unraveled

Ryou is talking to some first year students. He set himself up at Edo's room, and given all that happened on the day, he needs some time to think. As he enters the room, he catches a glimpse of a familiar figure inside.

"Rie…?"

She fidgets upon being caught by his analytical gaze. Her unmistakable pink hair flopping over her shoulders when she turns to look at him. His heart accelerates filled with adrenaline, his silhouette is the only thing blocking the sight of the two boys behind him, but not for long. Without options, he closes the door into their face.

Rie's lips open and close, as if she wants to make a cognizable sentence and explain herself, but has no words to. He lets go of the doorknob, they can't open it from outside without a key. A frown is sculpted into his face, accentuating more as he hears the knocks of the boys on the other side of the door, Rie gulps dryly, if she ever had a guilty face, that's it.

"Rie, what are you-"

His deep, grave and seemingly perplexed voice elicits a response on her, she stomps her way towards him speedily, whacking his chest and pinning him against the door, his back colliding with a thud. The boys on the other side become even more hectic.

"Kaiser! What's happening?!"

He opens his lips to form a response, but is too stunned, he can't take his eyes off Rie as she keeps him trapped there, pressing his chest so he can't move, making sure he's paying attention to her silent words, all he can make out of lip reading are "please" and "no". She's begging him not to tell anything.

A drop of sweat rolls down his face, his heartbeats pacing a bit too fast for comfort, as if his heart will just jump out of his ribcage. In these brief seconds, his mind goes a mile trying to understand what is going on there. His reflection is all he sees in her eyes. But what is she expecting of him?

He's confused too. Why is she here in the first place? What could she want to do in Edo's room at this time of the night? Why does she have this guilty face? There are many questions he'd like an answer to.

Confused memories come up to the surface, the knocks on the door becoming nothing more than an ambience sound: the moment when Rie scared off those guys in the city and easily took down Sakamoto, unlike what he expected; Edo's words about she having feelings for him; the wound on her hand that she got "on the library"; then her question about what would happen to the girl who broke into Edo's room, her seemingly innocent and curious eyes.

It all comes crashing down to him as her lips move but can't find any explanation, her fingers quiver while trying to hold him in place. In hindsight, was she planning something of sort since back then when she asked…?

Rie has been a frustrating mystery to him, he thought he had a good grasp on who she was, but it seems he was mistaken. He'd take her for this shy person who'd want to avoid attention, sometimes she looked frail and at others, she was strong to overcome her problems. But… Recently, he has this impression that he doesn't know anything about her at all, despite her having told him more than to others around her, despite having seen her smile that looked genuine. Something inside him shouts he'd rather not find it out.

As much as she may have reasons to be here or to not reveal her true self, he shouldn't let her slip now that she was caught. All those times, when Asuka was kidnapped, in the hut too, she was walking outside at night and alone. What was she doing then? Whenever asked, she came up with a million excuses and they believed it, they trusted her. Or at least, he did.

When he pieces it together, it makes sense if she had ulterior motives, but he would prefer it if it didn't. He would prefer if she wasn't this sly planner that'd sneak into other people's rooms.

What if she was lying all along? It's terrifying to think of this possibility: What if all those times Rie was not being herself, but playing a role? A role of what she wanted them to see and not of who she was while intimately having her own share of secrets. This makes his blood boil, a puzzling mix of annoyance and this most strange sensation in his chest, as if there's air in there and not blood.

He doesn't want it to be true. He wishes his intuition is wrong with all his might. The loud bangs on the door drag him out of his thoughts, they both are shaken a bit at the strength of the impacts from the outside. Rie looks into his eyes once more, shaking off her head negatively, pleading him to not say a word. If he says anything, she'll be expelled. Had it been any other person, she could have taken them down, but Ryou…

Her heart is pumping as fast as his, her chest pumping along with it, her eyes flickering dreadfully, she can't look him into the eyes anymore, casting her gaze down. She's done for. He can see his coat being more tugged in between her fingers. It's ironic that she'd cling to the only person who can ruin her right now, accepting her guilt.

"Kaiser! Please, say something!"

Ryou's arm carefully stretches to the side, to not aggravate her altered state, she flinches following his movement with her eyes in anxiety, his hand pushes the hasp on the door fully to the side with a click as it overlaps together, blocking all possibilities of them calling the janitor or a teacher to unlock the door.

"I'm fine."

He finally answers, his tone not letting a hint of his turbulent emotions pass by. The knocks on the door stop. His coolness to deal with the situation impresses and frightens her at the same time. She's astounded. His head turning to the side a bit as he continues to lie:

"I'm exhausted, could we keep this talk for another day?"

There's a few seconds of silence before he hears a "sure", the tension remains while they hear the footsteps of those boys going further away from the door, then they don't hear anything else. Rie lets out a deep sigh of relief, her head dropping down and her grip on his chest decreasing.

His green orbs narrow in doubt while looking at her. Even if he doesn't intend to get her into trouble by denouncing her presence here, he wants a full fledged explanation, and a good one. He grabs both her hands firmly, removing it from his chest and stepping a head, forcing her to take a few steps backwards.

"Rie, what are you doing here this late?" His tone is low, but severe, his forehead is wrinkled, she shivers, feeling judged by him. "Why did you barge into my room? You know this is wrong and improper!"

Her lips open, quivering again, her shoulders shriveling under the intense pressure, his eyes squinting even more, even if she were to lie, he wouldn't believe her right now.

She shakes her head briskly in denial, his hand strengthens around hers, her cheeks turn bright red under his steady grip, he won't let her go before he gets answers, will he? He can see the sheer panic in her eyes, as if her mind has been set into a mayhem of thoughts.

"Rie, listen, whether you have reasons or not, it's about time you stop hiding the truth. I may be upset or even disagree with you, but even so, I want you to be honest. Avoiding the issue won't get you anywhere. Don't try making up excuses like the other times."

Her eyes squeeze together slightly in some sort of shame and worry at the same time, her head shaking slightly in negation. She couldn't possibly tell about her uncle, of course and she still has to take care of the vial. Regardless of what he may think of her, she can't just reveal everything or... Her fingers unwittingly close around his hands too.

She's crumbling to the tension, but he has to push or he won't get any reasonable answer from her. He's worried of what he might find out, but even more worried of what she will end up doing if she keeps hiding things and he doesn't address the issue now.

He had his suspicions at the beginning, they dwindled with time, and now… Now it bites him back. He should've cleared all doubts then, not let her into their investigation without having fully known her.

"Frankly, Rie, you've been acting very suspicious ever since the start. I'd like to trust you, but I can't turn a blind eye here." He leans onwards threateningly, his face closer to hers than ever before, she tenses up, feeling small compared to him. "I understand everyone has secrets, but you're not doing yourself any favor by avoiding telling the important parts to people around you. I want to help you, Rie, I really do. That's why I locked that door and left everything else behind to listen to what you have to say. But if you just keep hiding things from everyone, no one will be able to help you!" He straightens up his posture, standing imposingly, she gulps scared at what may come next. "It's about time you tell the truth."

Her lips seal shut, her eyes waver and tear up, a pinch of discomfort in his chest for being strict. He's been saying things bluntly since the beginning, even when they didn't know each other, but never once did he look as upset as now, her heart clenches inside her.

He can see the tears accumulating on the corners of her blue eyes. With a deep sigh, in an attempt to cope with his own emotions, he releases her hands, his tone more callous as he asks:

"Why are you here?"

"I didn't know it was your room." Her fingers slide on the keyboard of her communicator from her nervousness. "I thought this was Edo's room."

"So you wanted to invade Edo's room?" She can hear his shaky, exasperated breath, his patience held by a thin thread. "Is that why you asked me and Edo earlier what happened to that girl who intruded his room? Were you planning to do this, Rie?!"

"It's complicated." She gulps, showing him a message on her PDA uneasily.

"We have the whole night for you to explain it."

He says while closing the door of the balcony accessing the surroundings, closing the curtains, making the room even darker, a shred of moonlight is the only luminance in the room. She observes it in fear. He would never hurt her, that much she knows, but it isn't less fearsome, the fact he's basically keeping her there until she spills out the information she's been withholding from them, his sharp gaze never averting from her, to make sure she won't make a move.

"I heard those girls scheming something again."

"Who?" He folds his arms, his posture towering in front of her, his intimidation tactics are working.

"Those two girls who we thought stole the things that went missing from the hut."

"Didn't they get a suspension? I thought just today they were called to the principal because they ruined your school uniform out of jealousy."

"After they went out, I followed them." She admits biting her lips, feeling ashamed of her deeds.

"You stalked them?" He corrects the sentence for her.

"I was worried they-"

He interrupts her typing by making a movement with his hands, as if she can stop trying to elaborate excuses to convince him of her naivety, she can see some sort of disappointment and disapproval in his expression even, but he wants her to come clean.

"Just tell me what they were scheming, what you heard."

"They were talking about some letters and that they'd test something they got from the hut with it."

"Letters and the hut? How are those connected?"

"There should be a letter here in Edo's room, or so they said, so I came to retrieve it before he got into trouble. At least, I thought this was his room."

"This is his room. We switched rooms today, but no one knew about it until night time. I didn't expect that right after someone invaded his room, another person would try it. You're playing very risky here."

"I had to." Her fingers shake slightly as she types hectically. "They put something into the letter."

"Do you have proof that what you're saying is true?"

She gapes, is he really asking for evidence? A sharp pain plunging her chest. He doesn't believe her anymore, does he?

"I'm not lying this time! Please, you have to listen to me! There should be a letter here and it could be dangerous!"

"Do. you. have. proof?"

He repeats the question in pauses and harsher, unfazed by her act. Yes, this is what it was. All an act, she feigned ignorance. The frail girl who doesn't know anything about the dangers of the island and is coincidentally at places where things happen every time. They all fell right into it until a crack opened in her mask.

She was always very guarded and quiet and he wondered why, it makes sense that she'd be like this to keep her secrets. Sometimes he could tell she had been just holding her emotions back, like she wanted to open up to people, but wouldn't for some reason that she isn't letting on. For this, he wants to give her the benefit of the doubt, but who is the true Rie?

Most of all in this whole mess, he's angry at himself for not noticing it before, how much she's been occulting and for not seeking out the reasons why she'd be doing this earlier. There has to be more to it, she wouldn't lie for fun, she's different from people like those bully girls or Sakamoto, right? She has to be. He can't just accept her as a villain in the story, at least not at all times. She couldn't have been faking all those smiles, could she? He wants to believe in that.

Her eyes glimmer with the wateriness, this is the first time someone sees this ugly, unseemly side of her as a liar, and of all people, it had to be him. It hurts. She didn't want to cause problems or even lie, to hide things from him or from Asuka or from any of them, but she did. She did and now, there's no going back in time.

Rummaging in her pocket, she takes out the envelope she got from the girls and clashes it onto his chest, holding back her tears. He grabs it fast, reading through the contents.

"This is certainly not written by Edo. I doubt he'd ask for any meeting in a letter, he's more pragmatic than that and this is not his writing either. You said they should have another of this? I assume they pretended Asuka wrote the other one."

"That's what I heard, and they said it was already in his room, when I read the contents of the letter, I came here in a rush."

"Why didn't you text Edo himself, Asuka or even me about it?"

His gaze is earnest, he's probing her intentions again, checking if she will come up with another lie, her lips incline down bitterly. She'd wish she wouldn't need to debate with someone as clever and astute as Ryou, he could see so clearly through her deceitfulness it pains her.

He laid her bare in her lies and this uncomfortable feeling spreading in her chest just worsens. She's trapped in this maze she can't go out of even though she knows the way. If he were to find out about her uncle, she'd have to make him forget, forget everything of what he found out, but she doesn't want to hurt him. She refuses to even consider that. Not Ryou or Asuka, or even Edo.

Perhaps, just like Daitokuji warned it was a mistake to befriend them, she doesn't know what to do now with those feelings or with what will be of them once everything comes to light and she's scared of crushing all the memories they've made together so far.

"I didn't think of texting anyone. I just wanted to make sure Edo or Asuka wouldn't get involved in whatever those girls were planning! You know they are bad!"

"That's so very noble of you." She jolts at the sarcasm in his voice. "The truth, Rie. That's all I'm asking. I'd rather hear it here, now and from you."

He replies dryly, no sugarcoating. Because it's Ryou she knows this was his way of caring about people, he wouldn't bother asking anything to her if he didn't care as much. He's afraid to know her reasons, but he knows being a coward won't settle anything, unlike Shou who has ran away many times facing adversity, he was one to take it head on.

His eyes falter. He'd wish to see more of the girl from the day before, smiling and enjoying her day, talking about things they like and aspirations for the future, but is that really how she is? Or was that also an act? He'd rather be beaten by the truth than live a sweet lie.

"Please, Ryou! I came here because of this letter, this isn't a lie! I wouldn't come here if I didn't think it was urgent."

He can see her shuddering internally, she's about to cry as she types, trying to convince him, but he doesn't buy it.

"Why did you not text us about it? You wouldn't risk expulsion just because 'you were worried'. Had anyone else entered that room, except Edo, that would result in you being expelled for breaking rules. You're smarter than this, Rie."

"I was scared! I was scared and wanted to get to it quickly, that's all. Please, you have to believe me! I don't mean to hurt any of you… I rushed here without thinking much."

"Stop telling those lies to me and to yourself, Rie. I'm not dumb! You have other intentions and we both know that!"

"Please! Ryou, please! I just don't want anyone to get hurt! I really came in a hurry! I was worried!"

He pinches his temples, seeking for some equilibrium amidst his burbling emotions, it's unlike him to have an outburst, but when he saw Rie there, getting herself into trouble again and thought about all the secrets, all the things she must be hiding, he felt plainly unsettled. Why is it that she has this effect on him?

Recollecting himself, he lands a hand on her shoulders, startling her, she doesn't seem less unhappy than him.

"Listen, Rie. I'm not angry at you, I just want you to be honest with me and all of us, yourself included. You're not achieving anything by deceiving everyone." Her eyes are captured by his. "You're just hurting yourself by pretending to be someone you aren't and even more by keeping to yourself as if it's a secret. If you would just tell us what the problem is, we'd try helping you. But I can't trust you if you don't trust me either, this is a two way street. Do you understand?"

Her hands enlace her communicator, bringing it closer to her chest, clenching it as she lowers her gaze unable to face him. His hands are so warm, unlike his cold persona or the stern expression, those hands are tepid.

She knows he's right, despite forcing herself and struggling to put up a façade, despite doing her best to not be found, to fulfil expectations, she can't… She can't continue like this and she knows that better than anyone else.

Nodding shyly, she responds to his question, he's in awe for a second, this… This is a genuine reaction from her. So he did get an answer after all. His gaze softens along with his grip on her shoulders.

"Why were you out at night all those times before we started investigating as a group, Rie? What were you really doing?"

"I can tell you everything I know, but… If I tell you, you could be in trouble. In big trouble…" Her brows coil up in angst as she lifts her eyes, he lets go of her shoulders, taken aback. "Do you still want to know, Ryou?"

"I see this is gonna be a long talk." He pauses wearily, pondering for a second. "I'll listen to what you have to say, but first things first. You said you came here to retrieve a letter. Will you tell me where the mysterious letter is?"

She tilts her head to the side, to the desk beside the bed, lowering her head ruefully. The envelope can be easily seen, that was the intention after all, but the plan of the girls failed for not knowing the switch of rooms between the boys.

"You stay here."

When he comes back, he checks the paper from all sides even after he stops in front of her. It's chubby, as if something else besides the letter itself was put into there, he casts a shrewd glance at Rie, her orbs don't lie, she's bewitched by it and startled when he pulls it slightly away from her intentionally, her bemused gaze lands on his face, his attitude borders tyranny.

"Do you know what's in here?"

"I told you, they said something about testing a concoction or whatever they got in the hut! This could be dangerous, please, give this to me."

"And what will you do with it?"

He strikes her with another valid question, she can't run away from his intense glare, Ryou isn't a bully, but she feels cornered by him as if he was.

"Dispose, throw it away, take it to the teachers, I don't know!" She types at lightning speed, coming off as desperate.

"Why are you so afraid of the contents?"

"I told you, it's a concoction and we don't know which effects it can have on people!"

"Let's check what's inside."

He opens it nonchalantly, disregarding her warnings, there's a letter and a very small sample flask. He'd seen those used to give samples of perfume before, but the liquid inside was deep red. She tugs his sleeve, turning her palm up, asking for him to hand the letter to her, but he frowns as an answer, throwing his arm further away in an attempt to not let her have it, with his sudden move, the small flask drops out of the paper.

Their eyes can only do as much as accompany the slow motion fall, he tries to grab it in reflex, but fails. The sound of glass shattering echoes as it crashes down, followed by a cloud of red smoke arising, incensing the entire room and gobbling them whole.

Meanwhile

Asuka leaves the library, she arranged in advance that she would wait here until a certain time, then meet Edo in secrecy outside. Considering no one is gossiping about them or even approached her to ask anything, it seems they're safe enough.

Her eyebrows raise seeing him leaning against a tree, on the place they agreed upon, he catches a glimpse of her as soon as she arrives, standing tall as if he's ready to go on the journey.

"How did you know this would work? I'd think people would pay more attention to where you go. In particular, your fans."

"They do pay attention, but not all the time. You have to find the right timing and that's a must to know it if you intend to escape paparazzis and all sorts of evil reporters."

He folds his arms explaining it calmly. If it was anyone else, he'd doubt which intentions they had in asking too much about him, but he's seen enough of Asuka to know she could be quite curious at times, he has grown accustomed to it.

"Let's go before someone actually notices."

He bobs his head and walks into the woods, followed by her. A drop of sweat rolls down her face, it's true she has been investigating before with Ryou too, but only on rare occasions they went as a duo, most of the time they covered different areas alone.

"Did you bring what we talked about?"

She ransacks her pocket, taking a small flashlight out of it and flaunting it in the air, a tiny smile on her lips as if to say she was prepared, he nods in approval. She wonders how many times he has ever done this to be so calm about it.

They hide behind different trees upon hearing a rustle of leaves, one of the guards is passing by. It's not a school guard, but one of the men in black he saw patrolling around the labs. Edo gestures with his head for her to follow him while they crouch behind some bushes.

Inside the obelisk dorm

Both teens skid their feet back in opposite directions as soon as the flask crashes. The mist that arose from it spreads quickly, they cough hoarsely, Ryou rushes to the balcony, opening the doors while covering his nose, holding his breath. He's sure they both inhaled some of it, but whatever it is, it's going out with the fresh air circulating in the room.

Rie's heart leaps wildly inside her, this is the situation she was warned about. If the flask were to break, she should take the potion her uncle gave her immediately, her hands are already in her pockets, sifting through it until a pair of hands holds her by the arms.

"Are you alright?"

She gives up on the idea, it's impossible to just drink it in front of him now and she'd not want to raise his suspicions about her even more. Her head bobs in a simple, short nod.

"Do you have any idea of what that was?"

Shaking her head quickly and energetically, she denies it. Daitokuji talked about the side-effects and insinuated what it can do, he called its effects are "explosive". She's afraid of what might happen if what he suggested is true, but she's unsure of the exact effects since her uncle didn't go into many details. While pondering, her head suddenly feels light, her body tumbling to the side, Ryou catches her in time, his arm stretched around her back, straightening her up and keeping a hold on her.

"Hey! Are you fine? Just now you…"

Her vision alternates between a blur and accurate versions of the world. Even in the dark, she can see the tinge of pink in Ryou's cheeks. Her mind feels airy, the keys of her PDA keep moving away from her sight, she finds it hard to press them right:

"Ryou, you're blushing."

"I'm…"

He reflexively releases the grip on her, putting a hand to his forehead, his face is sweating a bit, his sight blurs momentarily. There's something off with him too.

"I think… we should… sit down… for a moment." He pauses to gather the words correctly, his brain is having difficulties to be coherent.

His arm comes around her shoulder carefully, helping her stand on her unstable walking, she keeps bumping into him from dizziness. Whatever was in that flask, it seems to be affecting them both.

A soft plop as she sits on the edge of the bed, he takes a seat beside her, his head feels heavy, and it pulsates as if someone is playing drums inside it. He spares a glance at the side, Rie doesn't seem to be in a better condition, her cheeks have gone beet-red as if her whole blood is concentrating on her face too. He lowers his head, trying to make the strange buzzing in his ears disappear.

Rie's heart rhythm jumps to a thousand, sweating profusely, the turtleneck collar of her shirt suffocates her, she pulls it away with a finger, but her breathing quickly becomes erratic, she feels her lungs are compressed. In a pursuit for air, she opens the white coat of her uniform, getting rid of it as fast as she can by tossing it somewhere, and gasping for air as if she'd been underwater once she's freed from it.

"What's wrong?"

Ryou's voice is still placid, but his eyes are hazy. She gestures with a hand to her throat, the other hand patting the bed in search of her PDA, but she can't seem to find it, even though it's right on her side.

"You're out of air?" His gaze roams lethargically on the ground, his reflexes are also rather unresponsive. "Weird. I can breathe just fine."

His vague answer is due to most of his mind being focused on trying to understand the situation. Even when he's feeling awful, he can't help but pursue answers, he wishes none of this would've happened and he could resume his inquiry to Rie, but this isn't the best moment.

"Whatever that flask had, it can't be good. It has to be some drug, and a strong one. We're feeling bad not long after we inhaled it… But why would someone even own that on this island? And how did Rie know it was dangerous before it broke? It couldn't have just all been an assumption, she was too desperate for someone who was just 'assuming' something. She totally knows it."

He supports his right hand on the bed, a thoughtless action, his fingers brushing on Rie's hand, they both get startled, their glances meeting each other. A spark lits, as if electricity ran from the tip of their fingers through their whole bodies.

Ryou's pupils dilate visibly while looking deep into her eyes, captivated by them. Were they always such a pretty shade of blue? He never noticed. He can see more of her defined curves now that she's wearing only the dark undershirt of the uniform, it's no wonder jerks like Sakamoto would hit on her. Her lips are so glossy, even more in the darkness, they're so… Tempting.

He blinks strongly, trying to shake off those thoughts. Just what is happening? His heart is beating abnormally fast, punching his ribs from inside thunderously. Her eyes are as enthralled by him as he's by hers, she adjusts on her seat, turning to his side, her hands approach inconspicuously, cupping his face. His body temperature is so high by now he isn't sure if it just jumped a bit more with her touch. She's so pretty, he can't avert his eyes.

"This is bad. This is very bad, Ryou." His own mind screams inwardly, sending all the warnings to stop there.

He instinctively holds one of her wrists, taking her hand a few centimeters away from his face, adjusting himself to the side, to face her directly. Her eyes flicker conflicted, glimmering in the dark, she's as much in a daze as him.

"Rie, we should-"

Before he can finish the sentence, she leans in fast, her free hand boldly finding support on his leg as she seals his lips shut with a kiss. It lasts but a second, the softness of her lips sending a shiver through his body, he jolts backwards in reaction. He's trying to resist, he really is, but there's something very wrong with both of them…

"Rie, this isn't- mnh."

He can't finish again, her lips pressing against his once more, his blood is sent into disarray, setting his veins aflame, his hand slowly releasing the grip on her wrist, his eyes close unwittingly, relishing the lukewarm sensation. His brain yells for him to halt, but his muscles just won't move as he wants them to.

They separate for a moment, looking at each other, Rie's face is completely flushed, a lovesick glint abiding in her eyes, his eyes softening upon seeing that, it was hard even for him to miss it. He's as flushed as her. She flinches, awakening from the dreamy state, regretful of her impulsive actions, moving her torso back. It's too late.

This time Ryou is the one bending towards her, grabbing her wrist and pulling her close, taking her lips with his own. She's startled, stopping that kiss for a brief moment, his hands coming around her face and pulling her closer, kissing her again. Her eyes squeeze shut as their smooching sounds echo in the air.

His hands wrap around her back, decreasing the distance between their bodies even more, she doesn't have the will to fight him, her hands grappling onto his coat, tightening around his chest as he kisses her over and over, not letting a second pass between each kiss.

"This is wrong. This is so wrong…"

His inner self keeps repeating that, but he can't muster the strength to stop. Or rather, he doesn't want to. He has so many questions, but all of them are swallowed by those overloading emotions imploding all over him, inside his body, coming out in bursts as he takes her lips. He can't control himself now.

She knows she should grab that bottle given to her and drink it as quickly as possible or she won't stand the effects of the potion either, but this urge is devoured inside her by an even bigger desire of being with him, erased chunk by chunk as his lips touch her warmly and his hand brings her closer. This is the first time that she longs for this proximity with someone.

If this isn't madness, he doesn't know what it is. He's here with this girl that should be under his scrutiny and all he can think of are the many ways he wants to touch and feel her. Inebriated by all those new sensations.

They grow apart for a moment to search for air, as red as when they started, but none of them seem to care all that much about it, both hungering for each other's lips again. He brazenly jerks her back towards him, so brusquely their bodies collide together, making her fall with both hands onto his legs.

She grasps his collar, pulling him in for another kiss, crawling closer and taking a seat onto his lap, her leg fitting right in between his, as if the space was a calculated match. He lets a moan escape at her softness. His lips let go of hers, aiming for her neck, she bends back as he makes a trail of burning kisses on her neck, passing by her jaw and coming back to her lips once more, her toes curling inside her shoes.

Pushing him backwards in an impetus, to take a breathe, she retributes by dragging him closer and biting his neck, he groans at the pain grimacing slightly as a first reaction, but that slowly turns into pleasure as she plants more kisses there, the tenderness of her lips infecting his skin. His hand lands on one of her legs, slithering on it fully, delineating each slump, each flawless line she was drawn with, she gasps delighted as they break their kiss.

Leaning over him, they kiss once more, she crumples his uniform tightly between her fingers. His other hand comes to the back of her head, bringing her close as feasible as possible to his lips, his fingers sliding on her smooth hair, stopping as it folds over his hand.

They don't know who introduced their tongue in the kiss first, but it doesn't matter as she welcomes him into her mouth, their tongues entwining, an overwhelming lust. Where did it come from? He took himself as someone full of self-control and suddenly here he is, in this situation, hearing his own voice letting out blissful moans. He wasn't like this, never was.

When they break apart, he pants tiredly as if he couldn't breathe in the last whole minute, and he probably couldn't with how busy his mouth had been, his breath hitching at every short kiss she delivers around his face and neck in the meantime. When they latch onto each other's mouths again, he can feel her hips slithering back and forth on his leg in a suggestive manner, he lets out a groan of arousal, she also has to stop the kisses at times, her lips ungluing and quivering, he'd wish she would have a voice to hear how sweet it would sound now.

His hand that was stationed on her leg goes further, gliding to her waist and stopping there, getting a firm hold of her, yanking her closer, her hands clenching his chest as a response, releasing the grip right after.

They stop to look into each other's eyes, both too caught by the heat that built up. Her fingers rashly and impatiently unzipping his coat open, showing his undershirt, he's startled but for a second as she skids her hands, feeling the shape of his chest, his hand seizes her neck to bring her in for another passionate kiss.

As they relish their contact, his grip almost clutching her waist, her body gravitating towards him millimeter by millimeter, they break their kiss, she looks down, into his green orbs, her height a bit above his while sitting on him, her blue orbs wavering as if they'd melt right there, her hands coming to his shoulder, sliding upwards, filling with a handful of his hair, enticing him, his finger stroking her cheeks, so gently as if she would break if he applied more pressure.

In a second, his emotions are fueled again, he roughly pulls her in for another kiss, his blood seethes for more of this, more of her, more of those sensations, he can't help but to sink into this short-lasting pleasure presented to him.

What's right and what's wrong, all the doubts, the passion, it's all mushed up inside them, flipped around with their tongues as they kiss unstoppably. If this is what it means being impure, they want to be impure together. They will share every part of themselves, embracing those crazed feelings whole-heartedly.

Their tongues can't have enough of each other, her legs twitch hearing his pleased grunts, she also wishes for more of that. As she slides closer, her thighs graze on his leg, encasing it into their softness, much to his enjoyment, her skin rubs on his crotch, she blinks at the hardness she finds there, breaking apart from him for a moment to look down, he mimics the gesture.

She gasps, covering her mouth with both hands as if surprised, even though they did more than enough to warrant him such excitement. He reached peak stiffness, to the point he feels uncomfortable in his pants and it has become visible.

As they look at each other, their eyes quivering, consumed in their passion, his arm wraps around her back again, one of her hands going under his shirt, in a rhythmic move up and down, twitching upon the touch of his scorching, yet smooth skin and the firmness of his chest.

His hand follows the same route, not shying away, going underneath her shirt, reaching her bra, boldly intruding under it, fondling her breast, eliciting more gasps on her as he continues his movements, it's soft like clouds, his hand can't help but press it harder, her body winces, her torso recoiling slightly.

He stops briefly, wondering if he was too rough, letting go of her soft mound by sliding his hand away from under her shirt. He wouldn't want to stop now and her gaze tells him she also doesn't want him to stop any soon.

This time, his hand slides under her skirt towards their inner thighs as they exchange a long, elaborate kiss, stopping to fondle her leg that doesn't fully fit in a handful of his, gliding further, his fingers brush on the edge of her underwear, unashamed to pull it away from her skin to create an opening, his finger ready to slide in, then…

He's assaulted by an abrupt push, growling in frustration for the interruption, forced to support both hands on the bed as she gets up, stumbling a step back with the force she propelled herself away, her face occulted by both her hands. His sight is turvy momentarily, trying to focus on her.

She opens her lips to form a sentence, swaying her head negatively, struck by a moment of sobriety amidst the craziness, her body unconsciously swinging from one to side to the other from all the dizziness. His eyes are still dazzled by her as he stands up, wobbling to the side once.

"Wait. Rie, I…" His voice is hoarse as he gulps coarsely, searching for words.

His sight blurs and blackens out completely when he steps ahead, his body falls back with a thud on the bed, or at least half of it, with his feet still touching the ground. Rie shudders watching the impact, she has to to get a hold of herself, she's not far from fainting too.

Walking with her back bent onwards as if out of balance, she takes Ryou's legs with difficulty and lifts it, putting him properly on the bed, inspecting him closely.

Her face is attracted by his handsome, perfectly shaped traits, as if pulled by a mysterious, invisible force, she has this unbearable urge to kiss him everywhere. She struggles against it, stopping herself. This isn't her. She knows it. She needs to take the reins of her own body.

Her hand lands on his chest, his torso moves it up and down quickly, he's short on breath, sweating profusely as if he has a fever, just like her uncle said it would be. An afflicted gleam twinkles in her eyes as she carefully covers him with the bed sheets. It's her fault.

Standing straight, she finally has the opportunity to take the bottle with the "cure" for whatever they were doped with. Her heart starts bulging out on her chest at each beat. She examines the small flask, opening it with a plop of the lid, facing the windows, planning her great escape from the balcony.

Carrying the vial close to her lips, she stops, as if noticing something, casting a glance over her shoulder to Ryou, unconscious in the bed, her lips curving down sourly, her eyes squinting, tears forming on the borders, the blue color of them shining even brighter. Looking at the flask for the last time, she gorges her own sniffles, and whirls around, to the bed, tottering a step, her knees tumbling down to the mattress as she crawls closer to him.

Putting a hand kindly under his nape, she raises his head just enough, her torso folding over his, her other hand holding the flask, dropping the contents between his half-open lips, her shoulders shaking as those tears trickle down her face, the droplets leave a round, wet mark on the bed sheets, right on the side of his face.

Laying him down gently, she sits up, turning around on the bed, hiding the empty flask in her pocket, looking at the faint beams of moonlight coming through the gaps between curtains, her hand stretching in its direction. If she could touch it, if only she could bathe her skin under that light and purify her sins.

She closes her eyes, making everything turn into darkness around her again, weary of the night. Drained from all her energies, her body swings subtly before flopping back onto the bed.

In the woods

Asuka and Edo have seen a couple different guards patrol at distinct intervals, the blonde has been keeping track of it by taking notes on her PDA.

"You should avoid using the PDA here. The screen is too bright, it's like denouncing our position."

"Ah… Sorry."

She clicks a button to make the display dark, stunned at his declaration. He was so serious about all the spying business that it could be funny if it wasn't a terrible situation. The moment they are discussing, leaves rustle, sending their senses into alert.

He scans the surroundings very quickly, she also dunks down more and looks around, a few seconds pass, the rustling occurs again, the tension just swells. Suddenly, a guard appears from the darkness, aiming their flashlight in their direction.

"Hey! You!"

They stand up, astounded. Were they found this early, really? Then, they hear the sound of footsteps rushing away behind them, their gazes turn around, to find out that someone else is running away, a shadow that looks like a small person, so fast they could barely see it before it hid behind bushes again. A realization crosses his mind as he curses himself mentally:

"Crap… We've revealed our position for nothing…"

"There are more of you?!" The guard shouts angrily. "Freeze right there!"

"We have to go."

With a dire look on his face, he suddenly grabs her wrist and starts running, dragging her along. She's pulled so abruptly she has no chance to react.

"Wait!"

He can't listen to her. Releasing a deep sigh she tries to pace with his speed, he casts looks over his shoulder to ascertain they're escaping from his tracks, then they hear a whistle, another guard from the side, this time, however, Edo sees the guard tackling down the other person. That's their chance, instead of running further, he halts abruptly, she almost stumbles onto his back.

With a sweep on her back, he throws them both to the ground in an action movie fashion, she grumbles in complaint, grimacing, a squeak of pain coming out of her lips as they collide with the ground, he sure wasn't gentle.

When her eyes open, she sees Edo crouched beside her, putting a finger to his lips, as if to tell her she should be quiet, her eyes wavering, her heart racing more than she'd like. Are they really escaping like criminals? A drop of sweat rolls down her face.

They don't look directly at it, but they can hear the guard taking the other "student" or whoever was there that was there being muzzled by the guard. The noise become more and more distant as they drag the student away, their voices muffled:

"What about the other two?!"

"Let them be, they're probably far away by now, let's just make sure this one will have a good talk with the doctor."

Once only the crickets and insects can be heard, Edo and Asuka exchange a concerned glance. Did they kidnap a student right in front of them? And just who is this doctor they're talking to?

Somewhen

Ryou opens his eyes, the curtains block most of the outside light, but the beams of sun insist on reaching the bed, thin as they are. An unexpected sight.

Rie is lying sideways, right beside him, some strands of her hair falling across her face, her lips subtly open; she's dressed with the black undershirt of their uniform, her chest a bit compressed by her own position, her arms coming in front of it, her delicate fingers half open as if they had been holding onto something, her cheeks almost as pink as her pretty hair. Her figure basking under the sunlight.

He's stunned momentarily. It's beautiful, one of the most beautiful sights he'd ever seen. He closes his eyes tightly for a moment. This is an illusion. Why is he even daydreaming about this? Or having those perverted dreams with her? He's becoming a creep like Sakamoto.

Sitting up, the white blankets he was covered with slide down, folding on his lap, he looks at himself in confusion, he's still fully dressed in his uniform, he can see his black undershirt. Odd.

Why would he sleep in his uniform? What happened last night? He forces his brain to collect thoughts, one of his hands coming to his creased forehead. The scenes are all mingled, how he was preparing the room, the boys he was talking to and then… What was it that happened again?

He lands his hand on the bed to support himself, a sleek feeling under his fingertips. Pink hair entangling on his fingers, it slithers down as he lifts his hand, his mouth opening while he watches it. A trepidation bumps in his heart as he looks to the side. She's still there. His eyes oscillate, transfixed on the lines of her face. She's as much of a solid, real human as him.

"This can't be… true…"

His hand jolts away, as if he'd done something terrible, his lips sealing in a line as he stares in dread, his green orbs trailing off, lost on her sleeping face. If yesterday wasn't a dream, then… What will he do about it?