This chapter picks up immediately where the last canon storyline chapter of Drug & Drop left off.

Chapter One

"One with the power to read the future…one with the power to read the past. Their precious treasure…we would betray them, and go off on our own. Or suppose the kidnappers…came again, but this time took the two of us. They said if we remained together…they would in the end lose us both.

"So one of us had to be murdered."

Silence followed his words. The stillness was not soothing to Kudou Kazahaya, but somehow…somehow vocalizing his deepest, darkest secret did not scare him or make him feel sick. It felt like a tight knot inside of him was starting to slowly unravel, and that he could…relax. Relax for the first time since forever.

Kazahaya closed his eyes and exhaled quietly. Then he realized that he was no longer shaking, and opened his eyes. His gaze fell onto his left hand, clasped gently in the warm hand of the young man who sat on the floor before him. He lifted his eyes and looked into the bruised but calm face of Himura Rikuou. The silence lingered, and Rikuou didn't press for him to continue. He instead showed patience (how rare, Kazahaya thought fleetingly) but the two young men sat staring at each other in silence. Their hands still clasped, as if almost clinging to a lifeline.

Kazahaya though broke first, and looked away. He chuckled quietly. "You know, Rikuou…I never thanked you, did I?"

"Thanked me?" Rikuou echoed. He should probably get back into bed with his still fresh injuries, but he didn't move from where he sat. "Thank me for what?"

Kazahaya looked back at him. "For saving my life."

Rikuou shifted then, and a glimmer of a smirk rose to his face. "Which time, Kazahaya? I lost count—"

Kazahaya squeezed his hand, but not roughly. Rikuou immediately silenced.

"You can guess why I ran away," Kazahaya said. "I didn't want to die, but I didn't want Kei to die either, so I thought…I thought if I removed myself from the situation then everything would be better. I broke m—" tears stung his eyes but he quickly blinked them away. "I broke my promise to Kei," he whispered, glancing down. "But I had to. I almost didn't make it. The land…the mountains…when I left I lost my way so many times, Rikuou. It was like the earth itself was closing around me—the land rising to block my path so that I couldn't leave.

"I-I know," he quickly added. "That it wasn't the case. I-I got lost and was delirious no doubt. It took me so long to finally get away. To get away from the village…the people…Kei."

Kazahaya swallowed thickly and closed his eyes. He felt the tears stinging his eyes again and tried to lift his right hand to hide his face, but Rikuou took his other hand and held them both. He didn't want to start crying, even though—even though the thought of crying in front of Rikuou didn't bother him as much as he thought it would. But he didn't want to cry. "I made it out," he whispered. "And I found…I found a world cruel and unloving."

Kazahaya ducked his head forward to hide his face, but he could still feel Rikuou's gaze on him. "I had nothing but the clothes on my back. No money, no identification. I did not even know what Japan was. I w-wandered, sleeping outside and eating food out of garbage bins. I would see people watching me, whispering about me…but I was left alone. I-I wanted to be alone," he quickly added again. "Because I didn't know who I could trust. I-I didn't know who was with my community and who wasn't. I wandered, trying to survive…and all I found from this world that I had so desperately wanted to see was…" he left his voice trail off.

"Was?" Rikuou gently prompted him.

Kazahaya lifted his eyes and opened his eyes, and the tears spilled out. "Indifference."

Indifference. That was the cruelest realization of it all. The indifference of people. People who walked past him when he dug through garbage looking for food, or curled up on a park bench trying to sleep. The indifference of people who saw him sitting alone; a teenage boy adrift, and instead of offering him help or support they turned their faces away. Or turned their noses up at him if he hadn't bathed in awhile. No one helped him. It was almsot worse than being in the village isolated from the world with no one but Kei. He didn't know how to take care of himself, and he had no one to look out for him.

And no one cared.

Kazahaya gently pulled his left hand free and pressed it to Rikuou's cheek. Rikuou looked stunned. "That night was so cold. Christmas. I was so cold, weak, and hungry that I had no strength in my knees to stand. I remember…lying there in that plaza, hearing whispers and conversations and—and people walking past me. I was so scared that I was going to die. It was…painful," he enunciated the word. "Lying there feeling my life drifting away, and I couldn't help myself. B-But so many—so many people could have helped me but none of them did. None of them but you, Rikuou."

Kazahaya closed his eyes again and swallowed hard. The noise it made was strangled and anguished. "I owe you everything." He couldn't speak above a whisper. "I thanked Kakei-san, but I never thanked you. I'm so sorry, Rikuou."

Rikuou reached up and pressed his hand over Kazahaya's, holding it against his cheek. "You shouldn't thank me," he said after a moment.

Kazahaya looked at him again. He blinked to clear his vision, and more tears rolled down his cheeks. "I saw you," Rikuou confessed, staring him straight in the eye. "And I almost walked away from you, too. I turned my back on you at first, Kazahaya. Then…Then I heard you speak."

"Not yet…I can't die yet…I can't."

"It was only after I heard you that I came to you," Rikuou said. "But I almost walked away from you like everyone else. I-I…I may have saved you, but I don't deserve thanks for turning my back on you initially, Kazahaya. Kakei does deserve your thanks because he gave you shelter immediately."

Kazahaya smiled. He did not feel betrayed or angry. He was shocked at the warmth he felt inside his chest. He slid off the bed and onto his knees and carefully wrapped his arms around Rikuou's shoulders, resting his forehead on the crook of Rikuou's neck. "But you did come back. You did save me. I'm here now because you did that, Rikuou. That's all that matters to me."

Rikuou exhaled, the sound painful, and he slid his arms around Kazahaya's waist. The two sat in silence again for a long time clinging to each other. The comfort they took from each other's presence was monumental, and for the first time in what seemed like a long time, both young men felt at ease. Comfortable. Warm. With just a simple hug, the world itself seemed to make so much sense.

I like this. I like being held by him. He looks so rough, but his touch…I didn't know that he could be so gentle.

Kazahaya sighed and turned his head towards Rikyou's throat. Without realizing it, the tip of his nose began running along the side vertically as his head shifted. He inhaled slightly, and his stomach squirmed briefly as he took in Rikuou's scent. He smelled of blood and pain, but his natural musk mingled with the unpleasant scents and it made him feel at ease.

Rikuou went very stiff in his arms, and Kazahaya came back into himself as he realized what he was doing. "I-I'm sorry!" he yelped loudly, and tried to pull away.

Rikuou caught the back of his head with his hand and held him still. "Was I complaining?"

Kazahaya looked at him, and their gazes locked once more. Rikuou's left eye was still covered with bandages, but his right eye…the way he was looking at him made his breath catch in his throat. He was used to Rikuou's glares, angry glances, and teasing expressions. But Rikuou had begun to become—gentle with him, and his eyes had grown soft when he looked at Kazahaya. Kazahaya had noticed, and he had realized that his own behavior had softened towards Rikuou. It was easier to be around him, and he found comfort in his presence and his touch.

But his gaze…Rikuou did not have a look of comfort in his eye. It was a look Kazahya couldn't properly define, but it was a look that made his heart pound.

Rikuou's hand left the back of his head and trailed towards his face, gently cupping his jawline. His thumb stroked Kazahaya's cheek, and then stroked his bottom lip back and forth. Back and forth. Kazahaya's lips part involuntarily, and the tip of his thumb dipped slightly into his mouth as he continued to stroke his lip. The gesture felt strangely…good.

I want to do something. I feel like…

He didn't finish the thought. He realized that he was leaning his head towards Rikuou, and Rikuou was leaning forward towards him. Before they could move closer though, a loud 'caw' filled the room, startling them both violently.

"Ow, DAMN!" Rikuou shouted, clutching at his chest. Jumping in suprise had no doubt aggravated his injury.

Kazahaya was about to ask him if was okay, but another 'caw' interrupted him before he could speak. His head snapped up and he looked towards the window. Who opened the window?!

But it the last coherent thought he had. A crow was sitting on the windowsill, and flew down towards them. It settled onto the floor beside them and 'cawed' at them again. Kazahaya and Rikuou both gaped in horror at the crow, and Kazahaya felt a scream building in his throat.

The crow was cawing…but the crow had no head.