Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Flashing lights and billboards slowly came into view as 23-year-old inventor and infamous spy Kamishiro Rui sped through the streets of Shibuya on his motorcycle. 

As he got further into the city, the less helpful his helmet was proving against the smog and blinding lights, but then again, it wasn't like he was trying to get caught out in the open anyway.

He stared up at the flashing billboard signs, reminiscing on the past.

He remembered just how beautiful the city used to be, but now, all that was left was the rubble of apartments, pollution from both garbage and lights, and people left without homes to return to.

People were left to fend for themselves, and he knew that no authority was there to stop it.

In a world like this one, where screens are plastered everywhere, no one really cares about how the city looks now, but rather, how many people are looking.

It was rapidly turning into a world in which even view counts could be accepted as a form of currency and power.

Not to mention that everybody in this god-forsaken city wore some kind of device on their heads now, as if they were unable to face their mundane reality without it.

Then again, they probably couldn't. 

It was sad, really.

The screens people wore around were as bright as the futures they once held.

The stages shone with frauds, desperately trying to hide their disgusting visages and hideous hearts.

The air was filled with smoke and toxins from the needless production of items for fans to overconsume.

People were losing hope- if they even had any to begin with.

So why even bother?

Rui wished he had some sort of virtuous motive for his actions, but all he could muster was that he was no different from everyone else in the realm of wanting money, so he used the skills he was provided to work as a mechanic, but also a mercenary.

He had no problem with being used for both his and the world's advantage- though it wasn't like he was without his flaws either.

He could easily admit that he could be rather greedy at times, but he still did more good for the world than most people.

In fact, it reminded him of his younger years.

People didn't go outside much back then, but to be fair, it wasn't like Rui did either. The difference, though, was that instead of gluing his body to a device, he created them.

He even built his own motorcycle, the same one he was currently racing into the repulsively overstimulating city with.

It was a nice one, the first of its kind by his own invention: a collapsible motorcycle.

He would regularly be asked to sell it, but he constantly refused, amassing more and more attention from everyone.

He ended up opening his own workshop for custom-made bikes. 

It was a hefty fee, but his patrons had more than enough to spare. 

He couldn't lie- it was exhausting dealing with those sorts of people day in and day out.

He would spend all week straining his extremely low energy to keep up with demands.

Even his days off were filled with tasks, mainly requested by wealthy clients. It was a highly advanced city, so finding work was rather challenging, but he didn't mind, especially with the amount that people were paying for their commissions, but it never sat right with him.

He didn't enjoy the idea of catering to the rich while others struggled, but he also wanted his family to have stable lives, especially after everything they've all been through. 

It was a terrible cycle that he wanted to break, but wasn't sure if he ever would.

Past his daytime excursions, he was also working at night, adding significantly to his constant fatigue due to how physically demanding it was. 

He was, or rather, his persona, Intruder: R, was known for destroying entire corporations.

He and his group were the ones behind the infamous cyber attack a couple of years back that cost a big corporation the colossal amount of an estimated 10 billion yen in damages.

Of course, none of it could have been possible without his companions.

They were all significantly talented, each having their own unique capabilities.

Nene, his childhood friend, was extremely talented when it came to operating vehicles and drones, and was also excellent at reprogramming them and busting locks. She always got on to him about using her codes to modify his devices in… rather unsettling ways. 

Rin, his little sister, though not by blood, was a notorious hacker. She was faced with the reality at a young age that she needed to learn those skills to survive, and has been helping ever since she met Rui. 

Finally, Emu, his dear friend whom Nene introduced him to. She came from a rich family that went bankrupt, leaving her with little to nothing. She was an energetic and fierce fighter, always ignoring Rin's advice to lie low. 

They were incredible.

Just… Not whenever he walks into their apartment.

Someone is almost always messing around, spinning each other in circles until they see stars, or playing catch and missing horribly, breaking all of their stuff.

He loved them, though.

They were his family, and he was doing all of this for them… Or so he told himself.

He didn't care to get too far into his own head over his messy morals, though, so he didn't fight much with the thought.

Over time, he and his group became highly wanted criminals.

He would lend his services out for solo jobs so that his family wouldn't get tangled up in any more messy business. 

No job was off-limits- just as long as he was paid enough, that is.

He even became something of a city myth, since his slightly scary demeanor worried people into thinking he was in a gang or something.

After a bit of zoning out while driving, he made it to the city, somehow still in one piece.

He skidded to a halt, dust picking up at the stop of his tires.

Taking off his helmet, he observed the nauseatingly tall, soulless buildings that crammed Shibuya.

He was used to the skyscrapers, but to have these…

Abominations of architecture- one building after another stacked on top of each other, reaching anxiety-inducing heights, creating a jagged, uneven skyline…

It just wasn't right.

He shook his head, giving a disapproving sigh as he walked towards the main attraction:

It was a nice building to their standards, but Rui couldn't hate it enough.

It was the centerpiece of the city, a stadium, some would describe it.

Though he thought of it as a trophy.

A big, “We won,” against the people of Shibuya.

People couldn't tell that this wasn't a way to honor the city, but instead was a rotten monument to what will be and already is: a callous, insipid city.

Nevertheless, no one seemed to care.

One by one, these corporations hoisted up people undeserving of the spotlight to fame, only for them to ruin their reputation in one night.

In fact, tonight was the debut of a new blonde nobody, which was exactly why he was there.

To babysit this random grown-ass man.

Don't get him wrong-

He was admittedly not entirely against idols. 

Most are manipulated into doing the corporation's work for them with the hope that what they’re doing will spread joy and positivity to the world.

Nothing but a bunch of gullible puppets used to garner social power, so he couldn't fully hate them, no matter how stupid they were.

But then again…

He couldn't stand this particular idol.

He had seen him before- a bit before he became famous.

He remembers passing through town one night a couple of years ago. He had just gotten into a fight with Nene, his only roommate at the time.

He needed fresh air, and what better way than to speed on a motorcycle while it pours down rain at midnight?

He knew he had always been a bit reckless, and even though he wished he could block Nene’s caring nagging out, he kept imagining her saying things like, 

“You should’ve been more careful! Seriously, driving like that with weather like this? You could've gotten hurt badly, or worse!”

So he pulled over at a nearby convenience store and grabbed himself a coffee.

That dreadful boy was sitting by the window, waiting as well, a hoodie blocking most of his face, eating cup noodles. 

He sat beside him, a couple of seats away, with no intentions of acknowledging him, but the longer he sat there, the more unease he felt.

Neither spoke to the other, but the blonde kept glancing over at him, giving him a strange stare, and he could see faintly out of his peripheral vision that the boy had a bruise on his cheek and a previously bloody nose, the evidence smeared across his face without much care.

Then, he spoke with an irritatingly obnoxious voice.

“You look rough.” He laughed quietly, shoveling the rest of his noodles into his mouth, staring out the window.

“...”

Rui didn't respond.

He didn't care enough to, and he was still pissed off from his fight.

“Not a talker? Well, the most handsome guys are the ones who shut up. That's what I've learned, at least,” he joked, pointing at his injuries as if to suggest how he got them.

All he got in response was a bitter glare from the other.

“You’re quite the hypocrite,” Rui noted quietly, looking away from him, sipping an instant coffee.

He didn't speak again after that, but Rui could see a small smile that he couldn't quite tell the emotion of on the blonde’s face.

He didn't remember much other than that, but from what he gathered, that boy had some issues. 

He also knew that he should’ve felt a bit bad for hating him for no reason other than vibes and a bad first impression, but how could he?

Past all the details he couldn't quite recall, he did know that he had sold out for money and fame when the path he had chosen wasn't working out for him, and that was completely pathetic.

Sure, Rui did similar things, but he was always on the path of creating technology and mechanics. There was never a point at which he abandoned it.

Besides, he had plenty of hypocrisies that he could dwell on until the sun exploded, but he wasn't going to think about that, because it didn't even matter right now.

His job was his number-one priority, mainly because security jobs paid him the most.

It was hypocritical- and God, he hated using that word ever since it came out of that weirdo’s mouth- but he knew that he wasn't really any better than those crooks anyway.

Though it wasn't like he said he was in the first place.

So there he was: this sellout's concert.

Thousands upon thousands lined up to see him as they all screamed and raved about how pretty he was, how lucky the front row was, how they wanted to meet him more than anything.

A bunch of lunatics, if you asked him.

The only thing that stood out to him about the boy was the fact that he seemed to be a bit off his rocker.

In fact, he remembered it vividly, if nothing else, about their first interaction.

It was truly a curious thing, and the only reason he accepted the commission to work for him, other than the ludicrous payment.

He cut the line and headed straight for the security guards.

Drones with cameras whirred around the stadium, broadcasting live to viewers at home, while news anchors enthused about the upcoming performance louder than his ears could handle.

Rui grumbled profanities behind his mask as he rummaged through his bag for his ID.

He wasn't required to be stealthy like his other missions, but he was still on the down low.

He couldn't afford to get caught, especially with the hair colors he had.

He honestly didn't know why he was hired.

It's not like people care to leave their houses for crimes anymore.

Of course, people are still murdering others, but it certainly isn't as mindless as it used to be.

It wasn't just mass killings anymore, but rather targeted killing, which was why he had been working as personal security for so long now.

Other than that, though, the only common crimes people are committing nowadays are calling out figures of power and getting arrested for it.

That or doing stupid stuff like vandalism and thievery.

Petty crimes.

So maybe the idol did something super messed up to have a hit out on him, or whatever this was. 

Seemed fun.

“Hold on. Who are you, and what business do you have here?” The security guard put a hand out, stopping his entry.

Rui stopped, staring up at the guard who wore an elaborate piece of equipment on his head- Akin to a surveillance camera. 

He grumbled with disdain and pulled out a somewhat truth-bent ID.

It wasn't entirely lies- it had some actual sensitive info-

But it wasn't the right kind to get him caught.

“Alright. Thank you.” He put his hand down, signalling that entry was allowed.

As Rui walked in, his eyes widened at just how disgustingly touristy the place was.

The walls were completely plastered with ads and posters for upcoming performances- typical, but way too overdone.

The food vendors were all half-asleep, probably wishing for nothing more than the sweet release of death.

Not to mention the prices of said food.

Heinous.

It was all just heinous.

Rui shuddered a bit, tossing his hands around in a frazzled manner, shaking off the nerves of this awful… horrible place.

He passed by the exceptionally cringeworthy sponsored advertisements from various celebrities, the poorly mass-produced merchandise sold at insane prices, and don't even get him started on the sheer number of people, all with those ridiculous devices on their heads.

He was seriously about ready to puke.

At every step, he bumped into someone, their disgusting illuminated screens staring at him rather than their eyes.

He hugged his arms, trying to avoid drawing attention to himself, staggering a bit.

He turned off his hearing aids and proceeded despite still hearing the chatter and screams around him.

He definitely should have listened to Nene’s advice.

—-------

“Ew, are you serious? Why would you go?”
She scoffed, rolling her eyes as she played on her game.

“Money. No reason not to.” He shrugged.

“You sound just like those sellouts. Money isn't everything, you know. Besides, think about how many idiots are going to be there. It's Tenma Tsukasa, for God's sake. Do you know how many crazy fans you're going to have to fight off? I can't let you get another assault charge.” She sighed.

“You're overreacting. It'll be okay. I'll text you when I arrive. Plus, that was one time. I will not be getting into any more fist fights with civilians.” He groaned, grabbing his bag, swinging it over his shoulder.

“Rui, I'm being serious, I really don't think you should go.” She tried to protest further, but he refused to listen, continuing to gather his items.

“I'll be fine.”

“I swear to everything, if I have to pick you up from a jail cell again, I'm going to drive off a cliff with you in the passenger seat and make your robots watch.” She rolled her eyes, watching him pack his stuff, shifting slightly in her seat.

He simply scoffed, walking out the door.

“I'll be home before you know it.” He rolled his eyes, smiling as he clicked his mask onto his face.

She gave him an unimpressed glare, sighed, then nodded her head slowly.

“You better.”

—------

…

Come to think of it, he should text her.

R:
I hate it here. Get me out.

Nenenenene:

Told you.

R:

Fantastic support, you are.

He grumbled, shoving his phone back in his pocket.

He couldn't take it- all these people.

He wasn't anxious by any means, but damn, was he overstimulated.

His body was frantically telling him to turn on his heel and get the hell out.

His vision was blurred with error messages appearing in every which way, to which he smacked the side of his head to get them to stop, as if he were an old TV.

He couldn't afford to fix his body mods for a while until he got paid, so it would have to do for now.

Better to have them while broken than not at all, that's for sure.

He shook his head, trying to stop the dissociation he was being propelled into as his body went into lockdown mode, and marched forward with determination, shoving past all the obstacles (people) in his way.

Finally, he made it to the security room.

He hastily fumbled with the doorknob, finally opening the door after about a million tries, and placed his back to the door, catching both his breath and his sanity.

The usual security guard was there, monitoring everything, and noticed his arrival.

He gave him some keys to get through the building- the keys had a yellow dog keychain attached to them, one of a chicken, as well as some star keychains.

They were strangely… cute keys.

Familiar-looking ones, too. He just couldn't put his finger on where he had seen them from.

“Um-” Rui started, turning his hearing aids back on as the security guard handed him the keys with no other word, leaving to go on his break.

“Hm?” He turned around, the monitor screen on his head looping footage of old, distorted debut clips of that idol.

“Uh… Never mind.” He made a disturbed expression, completely distracted by the sight, and decided to drop it.

He couldn't tell anymore. This place was wacky beyond belief.

What's a few customized keys?

But the man responded to his confusion regardless.

“Oh, yeah. Mr. Tenma asked me to give ya those, if you were wonderin’. Custom-made keys. Said it was a welcome gift. You'd better hang on to those, they could go for a ton a’ cash.” He chuckled with a digitalized, carefree tone and gave a wave goodbye to the boy who stood there in silent horror.

‘He… Asked to give them to me?’

That was strange.

Why would an idol go out of their way to give a vigilante custom keys?

Was this some sort of ritual he had for other members of his team??

How did he even know he got hired???

There were way too many questions.

He decided to put it past him for now, despite the fear creeping up his spine.

As he scanned his surroundings, he took notice of one camera in particular.

It was right outside the blonde’s dressing room.

The camera had scratches and broken glass, yet no one had bothered to fix it.

He took a closer look, only to see the very boy exit his dressing room.

He looked up at the camera- just a glance, but a look nonetheless.

Rui’s eyes widened in slight shock, but he remained collected.

Maybe it was just a passing look.

Nothing more.

He hoped that was the case.

After a deep breath, he looked to see the boy enter the view of the next camera, then to the next, going backstage to prepare.

He decided to set up the cameras on his laptop so that he wouldn't be stuck in one spot, following the boy backstage to keep an eye on him.

He had to find the threat before it found the idol.

Whatever that threat may be.

⋆˚☆˖°⋆｡° ✮˖ ࣪ ⊹⋆.˚‧₊˚♪ 𝄞₊˚⊹⋆˚☆˖°⋆｡° 

‘The stage is safe…’

‘Entrances are hard to sneak into without being noticed…’

‘Third parties or suspicious activity? I already hooked up to the cameras, so that should be okay…’

Rui was deep into his work, mumbling to himself and pulling at his hair, before a hauntingly… cheerful voice broke him out of it.

One that didn't seem quite right.

“You're rather serious~.”

Rui jolted up, swinging around.

He had built in sensors from all the body mods he had undergone, but not a single warning came from them.

How did they not go off?

Why didn't they go off??

He became more alert, unsure whether it was just the blonde's ability to do that or if his sensors were also busted.

He stared at the boy in slight apprehension as he stood there, looking over his shoulder, smiling eerily.

“Good to be working with you!” He gave a rather captivating smile, reaching a hand out for him to shake, but the charm was lost on Rui.

He sighed, reluctantly accepting his hand.

“Sure…”

As he looked at the idol, he noticed his downright uncanny smile.

To be fair, nothing about his smile was visibly wrong, but he could feel that something was seriously off with it.

Then, a warning sign popped up.

That wasn't right…

Why would there be danger?

He scanned the boy for any more details on the warning, but before he could, the boy knelt to his level, whispering with a smug smile.

“Don't go trying that on me, silly. It doesn’t work.” He laughed dryly, poking him gently on the nose.

 The sentence left Rui in alarm.

He really was losing his grip, wasn't he?

He had to have been just tired or- anything- …Right?

He brushed it off, trying to refocus.

“I don't know what you're talking about.” He retorted, not about to give away any info that the other somehow correctly guessed- or rather… Knew.

“Mm… Sure, sure.”

He was still standing there, smiling with such an empty twist of the lips, eyes full of nothingness- Like staring into the void.

Something was seriously wrong with this guy.

And he was curious.

He wanted to know what made his brain such a seemingly disturbing place.

He put his hands over his eyes, dragging his face down in an attempt to maybe wake up more.

Was he just too tired?

Was it all the mental stress?

Whatever it was- it was getting to him.

“Ya’know, you're pretty cute. Even for someone who bashes people’s heads in for a living.” He laughed.

“And you're creepy as hell for someone who’s supposed to be spreading ‘hope,’ or whatever it is you do. What do you want from me?” Rui scowled, not believing his act for one second, looking back down at his computer for a moment.

“Me? I'm totally normal! Aren’t you supposed to be nice to me?” He huffed, smiling with defeat as he walked his fingers along the other's shoulder.

“That's none of your business. I'm doing what I came here to be paid to do.” Rui scoffed, swatting his hand away from him as he continued to type on his laptop rapidly.

They didn't give a very great description of who to look out for- just suspicious activity.

He supposed no one looked too strange- well, stranger than this guy’s fans were.

He was just an extra pair of eyes. 

Yeah.

Nothing would go wrong.

“If you say so, handsome.” He quickly stood up straight, giving another fake smile over what seemed to be an irritated eye twitch, and waved to the boy with a wink.

‘What a weirdo.’

He shook his head with a chill running down his spine.

He knew that guy was bad news.

But he didn't seem to care all that much.

Maybe this was all a trap.

But whatever this was, it was his job now, so he would fulfill it to the utmost of his abilities-

Up until the pay becomes unworthy of the effort, of course.

—------------

—------------

The show was about to begin, and the roaring, crying crowd’s cheers flooded Rui’s brain.

As he sat backstage, back to the wall in a pocket of shadows atop the rafters, solely illuminated by the screen of his laptop (a less professional and high-stakes setting than usual for the spy), he noticed the crew preparing for the show to begin.

Then, he saw him again.

That creepy smile was wiped off his face and replaced with that same charming front he had seen so many times already within the short amount of time he had been here.

He didn't quite care for the fakeness of it.

He was a bit curious, though. 

He wondered what it would be like to see his true expressions without his deceitful front. 

The blonde looked directly to where he was positioned, leaving Rui in silence for a second longer before he walked onto the stage, and the curtains opened.

The chanting crowd screamed at a volume Rui had never even thought possible, his body twitching a bit at the high frequency.

He sighed.

‘Of course, this was going to be another boring night.’

He kept looking around in search for a while longer, before settling on the usually horrible and wrong idea that no one was watching.

There's always someone watching, but for his sake, he would ignore it for now.

He should see if any cameras are around by hacking into the security system himself.

Granted, he wasn't supposed to, but if they wanted him to do his job properly, then allowing him access to only a select few of their cameras wouldn't suffice.

Besides, he was far too skilled to be so determined on a job like this, to show off for a job that paid him a barely notable sum.

Might as well have some fun and break a few rules.

He took the cameras and hooked them up to his body.

He had gotten some ports installed in his wrist to make work easier, but every time he looked at them, all he remembered was Nene’s immense protests against it and her screaming about how gross a bunch of holes in his arm would be.

She was totally right, but it was for quality of life, so he didn't mind; Nene refuses to look too closely at him now, though.

He scanned the networks for anything he or his laptop could connect to, and despite all the encryption and code, he found one singular device, but he couldn't break through.

In fact, nothing was working, which was a first for the genius.

His vision was rather glitchy; all of the screens were switching around rapidly, causing him to rip the wires out.

He sat there in a bit of a haze for a moment, holding his head in his hands.

His signals were in a total fritz.

It was like all the circuits and code in his body were going haywire.

He figured that there must be something messing with him, because he couldn't figure out what had gotten into him. 

As the screaming and singing from the crowd got louder and more fervent, he groaned in annoyance, turning off his hearing aids.

He couldn't understand why anyone would want to be stuck in a crowd like that.

He just tried to distract himself.

He would be back home soon.

—------------

—------------

Hours passed by with nothing weird happening, past the strange feeling he was getting just from being at this place.

Not to mention that his head was downright throbbing, but for some reason, he still kept a careful eye.

By now, he would be slacking off.

It was such menial, boring work, yet for some reason, he decided to stay vigilant even though he couldn't care less.

The crowd erupted in applause and cheers one last time before the boy stepped off stage.

The crew surrounded him, congratulating him on his first successful live, and helped remove the mic and other aspects of his setup.

All of a sudden, Rui detected multiple threats.

Signals were going berserk on his screen, and his built-in detection systems picked up about 20 individuals.

He sat straight, watching closely and carefully at the screen before closing it, and fully disguising himself in the shadows.

After a bit, everyone disappeared off to their stations to finish up work and go home.

Not the blonde, however.

He remained standing, staring up at a corner of the room before muttering something Rui couldn't quite catch, forgetting to turn his hearing aids back on.

As he turned it back on, he picked up on the clanking of metal and footsteps.

A group of people was approaching quickly.

‘Who would be trying to attack this random idol?’ Rui thought, readying himself for a fight.

He had to act quickly.

Without much thought, he made his way down the rafters, toward the blonde in a rush.

He turned to Rui without much shock, then was dragged by the hand to a dark corner of the backstage area, covered with props.

Before they knew it, the intruders got backstage, guns at the ready.

He signaled for Tsukasa to be quiet and then disappeared.

With a few swift steps, Rui was back into the shadows.

Along the walls, attached via body augments allowing wall climbing, he scanned the intruders.

In his vision, a screen popped up, detailing the inventories of the criminals via heat scans.

One had a smoke bomb, another had two handguns, and a couple of others had knives.

All of them, however, were equipped with rifles.

He had to proceed with caution.

He lunged forward, quickly, and quietly grabbed one of them and pulled them into the shadows with him.

Upon the sudden and eerily quiet disappearance of one of the intruders, the rest pointed their guns around in caution.

Rui was up in the rafters again, dead silence filling the air.

He waited for the perfect moment to strike, his finger hovering over the trigger.

His aim was steady and accurate, making sure to fire at a non-fatal spot; he wasn't a monster.

He took one down, and immediately, panic erupted in the room.

He fired a couple more bullets into the bodies of 4 more before dropping down and taking another armed individual with him, kicking them.

Quickly, he dodged the open fire, grabbing a device from his toolbelt.

It looked to be a grenade, but it was very quickly apparent that that wasn't the case at all.

He threw it on the ground, speedily deploying a cybernetic shield to protect himself from the bullets.

The masked individuals waited and braced for an explosion, but they were met with something much worse.

The grenade expanded and formed into a robot with outstretched claws.

And, of course, in ordinary Rui fashion, he designed the robot solely to maul everyone to death.

It wasn't just something they could avoid; the robot flailed its arms around as though it were a water sprinkler-

A very, very violent water sprinkler.

Its metal, knife-like claws latched onto anyone in its vicinity, making quick work of them as if they were nothing more than paper.

He dodged a sudden attempt to strike him in the side with a dagger, thanks to his warning signals, pushed the shield up against the blade, and fended them off long enough to swipe at them in return.

He struck the individual in the side and detected that this was the one carrying the smoke bomb.

Without hesitation, he swung around, throwing the bomb he took from their belt onto the ground. 

Five more rushed at him right before the smoke engulfed their surroundings, and once the smoke settled, there he stood: in the middle of a pile of bodies, covered in blood, staring down at his watch.

He was getting a call from Nene.

“Hey, you done yet? You said you'd be outside two hours ago.” Her face popped up in a hologram, projecting from his watch.

“Yeah. Just got caught up in some business. See you soon, promise I'll be quick,” he softly spoke, reeling from the immense headache from the concert and fight he had just endured.

He wasn't weak, but he took one hell of a beating when it came to his energy.

With the sheer volume of metal and wires in his body, it was only natural that he would need some power source to keep him going, and that battery was his heart.

Combined with his ventricles and arteries were wires, which meant that too much physical exertion damaged him greatly, but he never let anyone else find that out- especially not Nene.

She would worry too much, more than she already did, that is.

“Sure. Be quick. I'm not trying to get attacked out here.” She gritted her teeth, frantically looking around.

“Yeah, got it. Sorry.” 

He hung up the call and turned around to see the idol standing where he had once hidden, staring at him with an unreadable expression.

“Thank you for the help!” He bowed, not phased at all by being almost killed. 

“Shut up. No wonder you got attacked, you can't keep your voice down.” He covered his ears, wincing.

“Ah- Right…”

His demeanor completely switched from his creepy mannerisms to this now quiet and awkward persona.

He couldn't tell if he was reading his expressions wrong, if he was faking, or if he was genuinely swapping between emotions, but whatever it was, it freaked him out.

It all seemed too real.

He didn't want to be around this guy anymore.

So he went home.

He packed his stuff into his bag, getting ready to leave, before he spotted the keys again and decided to take a closer look.

There were 3 keys. He wasn't quite sure what they opened, as the security guard didn’t elaborate, and he didn't need to open any doors during the job, but he noticed the keychains.

He shook it around, observing the yellow dog, chicken, and stars clinking together.

With each collision of the keys, he felt progressively worse.

It was strange.

He felt… strange.

His vision was losing focus.

Come to think of it… He was rather sleepy.

He must be tired.

Admittedly, he hadn't slept in quite a while.

He was so ready for a rest.

He couldn't even remember what he was worrying about anymore, either.

He walked the idol back to his car, making sure nothing happened to him on his way out.

As he closed the door, the blonde rolled down the window.

“Thank you again.” He smiled with that carefree way, never seeming like he went through the motions of being attacked.

“...”

“Oh, that reminds me! I never caught your name.”

“I have no obligation to do that. You'll have to find that out yourself.” He stared down at the blonde.

“If you can,” he added, with a small, involuntary tug at his lips, just barely conveying a smile of sorts that his mask luckily covered.

A smile that idol was undeserving of.

Rui said nothing else and walked to Nene’s car as the idol stared at him with an indiscernible expression, watching as he walked to his car.

He wondered why he had done that, but even he didn't know.

—------------

—------------

“Took you long enough,” Nene grumbled, gripping the wheel of the rental car tightly.

“I'm sorry. I'm not feeling well,” he murmured, getting into the passenger seat, taking his mask off.

“Whatever,” she sighed, the convertible roof lowered fully, letting the cool breeze of the night wash over their faces.

Nene was turned around, frantically trying to reverse the car, as well as not hitting any of the quintillion civilians leaving the concert, while Rui rested his eyes.

“This is going to be your only favor for the rest of your life,” she annoyedly groaned through her teeth, resisting the urge to bash her head into the steering wheel.

Rui didn't say anything. His head hurt too badly.

Nene noticed, slightly changing her tone of voice.

“It's okay. It's whatever,” she shook her head.

“We aren't getting anywhere anytime soon with the crowds surrounding us right now, so…” she trailed off, looking at the boy.

“What was it like? Working for Tenma Tsukasa,” she huffed a bit, a small smile creeping onto her face.

“Kinda the worst,” he mumbled back with a smile, covering his eyes with his hand, still in pain.

“Really now? What did he do, throw hot coffee in your face, call you names?”

“I wish,” he laughed, closing his eyes hard, trying to relieve some of the discomfort.

“I can't lie, he's a total weirdo.” He sighed, dragging a hand down his face, pulling at his eyes.

“Weirdo, huh? You two are the same in that aspect,” she scoffed.

“Don't even joke like that, this guy is seriously messed up in the head.” He shook his head, looking at Nene.

“I think,” he admitted, unsure of his judgment at the moment, since everything had been getting strange the moment he got there.

“What’d he do?”

“He kept staring at me through the security cameras and giving me these creepy smiles, and his voice was… Strange. Just- everything about him was so… Off.”

Nene gave him a concerned look, but brushed it off.

“I'm sure you just got a bad first impression, but it's not like I'm trying to defend him either. I believe you. He could be a total freak, and we have no idea.” She smiled defeatedly.

“Yeah,” he huffed, smiling just a bit, hiding the detail of him being slightly intrigued regarding Tenma.

He assured himself it wasn't relevant, since he also couldn't stand the guy.

Nene looked around after a bit, finally able to back the car up.

“Alright. Let's get you some headache medication and maybe some food?” She smiled gently at him, to which he returned the gesture.

“I'd like that.”

“What do you want?”

 “Maybe some soup dumplings..”

“Ah, I saw this new place…”

The two drove for a bit, picking up everything, and as they entered their apartment, they saw Emu and Rin hanging upside down from the ceiling.

“I leave for 20 minutes, and this is what you do?” Nene stood in the doorway, folding her arms in disappointment.

“UWAH!” Emu got spooked, falling on her face onto the ground, alongside Rin, who followed suit.

“Ow…” Rin whined, rubbing her head.

“Dummies. Rui’s tech isn't supposed to be messed with! You know how expensive it was to make,” she scolded.

“We brought food. Rui isn't feeling well, so keep it down, yeah?” Nene informed the two as she set out the food. 

Emu and Rin nodded obediently, looking over at Rui worriedly, but didn't pry. 

The four ate their food, talking about their days, as Rui drifted off a bit in his little nook by the window.

“Rin and I were listening to the new release for Tenma’s new collab! It's super wonderhoy!” Emu chimed in, jolting Rui awake with the name drop.

“On the ceiling…?” Nene asked, unamused.

“Ah- Rui, you got to meet him, didn't you?” She excitedly whispered, trying to keep her volume down, actively avoiding Nene’s question.

“Yes… I did,” he strained, not saying anything else so as not to crush Rin’s false reality of him.

“Oh. My. God. What did he say to you? Is his hair actually naturally pink at the ends? Did his smile have the same charm? What does he smell like?” She beamed, asking question after question until Nene tapped her shoulder, snapping her out of it.

“Don't be weird about it. Also, stop bombarding him…” she sighed.

“Ahaha… understood.” She guiltily smiled at Nene, turning to Rui, mouthing, 

“Text me.” Holding up her hand in a phone gesture, pointing with her other hand.

He scoffed, rolling his eyes, smiling a bit at her.

“Citrus,” he muttered under his breath, to which Rin shot up with a gaudy grin, pointing at him to Nene.

She simply rolled her eyes in response to Rin's nonsense, continuing to eat her food, letting Emu try her order as well.

He had finished eating and decided that a proper nap wouldn't hurt.

He had been up all night yesterday, and having to fight off around 20 people at once really wears a person down, no matter how technologically advanced their body was- or rather, how easily exhausted they get.

He went to his room, changed into sleeping clothes, and got into bed.

He tossed and turned for a while.

That citrus scent never left him.

In fact, it made it impossible to sleep.

He decided that he could scroll on his phone for a bit.

A bad habit, sure, but it could be worse.

Though…

It never occurred to Rui just how much Tenma was all over the news and social media, but now that he knew who he was, it was a thousand times more noticeable.

His twisted, charming grin was plastered at every turn.

Even when he was riding into town, the billboards displayed his blonde and pink hair, freckled tan skin, reddish pink eyeshadow-

Awful.

He was awful.

Rui never wanted to think about him ever again after tonight.

His weird urge to pick apart his brain could screw right off.

His job was done.

He didn't need to think of him anymore.

He closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep. 

Hopefully, that creep wouldn't show up there, too. 

⋆˚☆˖°⋆｡° ✮˖ ࣪ ⊹⋆.˚‧₊˚♪ 𝄞₊˚⊹⋆˚☆˖°⋆｡° 

Tenma Tsukasa: A boy who became a worldwide sensation without much of a say in the matter.

It was overnight, really. It wasn't like he saw it coming either.

Who would?

He was a nobody.

A useless excuse and a failure of a person.

But somehow… he was here now.

At this… Job.

This job he hated.

He was ashamed of himself.

He used to act.

He used to be an actor.

He used to be happy.

Used to.

Not much he could do now since everything had been taken from him.

He needed a change.

He was tired of being a nobody.

A distant echo in a dark corridor.

But this time, he had a chance.

Tonight, he was going to take back what was rightfully his.

Everything was right in place.

He finished getting dressed and handed the security guard some keys as he walked to get his makeup done.

He was extremely giddy, not because of his first-ever performance as an idol, but rather because of who had been hired to be his bodyguard.

That boy was something special.

Someone he just couldn't take his eyes off of.

It was right when he was about to go on stage that he finally saw him.

He was rather focused on his work as he sat backstage, typing on his computer at a rapid pace, his eyes darting from line to line, biting his cheek, and tapping his foot at exactly 221 beats per minute.

He also quickly took notice that the keys he had given him were peeking out of his bag’s side pocket.

He crouched down beside him, startling him a bit.

‘Cute,'  he thought in a far-off corner of his mind.

He made some small talk, prying a bit further into what he was after by accepting his commission, but he didn't crack.

He ceased conversation after a small bit, getting prepared to walk out on stage.

The crowd was restless, and it sounded as though he was about to get ripped to shreds, but this was his life now, and he needed to deal with it.

He would be free from it soon enough.

He gave one last smile to the spy who was now up in the darkness of the rafters with hopes of charming him a bit, but he knew that it had no effect.

He braced himself and walked out.

It was a pretty successful show- the crowd loved him, and all the in-between segments went smoothly.

His many years of being terrible at public speaking were finally conquered ever since he debuted.

He tried to smile to himself, to remind him of his accomplishments, but the novelty immediately wore off.

He was tired.

He didn't like the attention anymore, but he made his mark; he can't go back now.

He stayed in place, completely forgetting for a moment that that boy was still there, watching him.

He stood, staring at the ground before snapping out of it.

He didn't know where he was going with it, but he mumbled something along the lines of,

“Same as ever.”

He sighed, headed for his dressing room to change, but was quickly dragged away by the spy.

They were under attack.

He didn't really mind, seeing as he honestly couldn't care less if they just killed him, but he couldn't say no to a free show either.

He watched as the boy disappeared into the shadows, taking them out one by one.

As everything quieted down, he saw the boy answer a call on his watch.

A girl with green hair answered, scowling.

She scolded him for being late and told him to hurry.

He didn't quite like her tone, but he noticed the way that the boy reacted to it was filled with understanding and care.

He watched as he would take his mask off to speak with her, his back turned to him, his hands brushing hair out of his face, his pained breathing, his gentle tone.

He hated how much he noticed about him, but he couldn't stop noticing-

He couldn't stop reminiscing.

He watched the spy mess with the keys for a bit before shoving them carelessly back into his bag and walking him to the car waiting outside to pick him up.

All the while, Tsukasa couldn't help but ask a thousand or so questions. 

“Who are you?”

“Nobody.”

“Why did you agree to this job?”

“Money.”

“Are you-”

“Shut it,” he snapped.

The two made it to the car, and as he closed the door, he asked one final question regarding his name.

“You'll have to find that out yourself.”

“...If you can.”

That small smile he heard in his voice, despite the mask covering his face, caused a switch to flip in his brain.

That poor boy had no idea what he had just gotten himself into. 

⋆˚☆˖°⋆｡° ✮˖ ࣪ ⊹⋆.˚‧₊˚♪ 𝄞₊˚⊹⋆˚☆˖°⋆｡° 

The morning arrived rather quickly, much to the dismay of the inventor, but the alarm he received at 8 in the morning was not his usual one.

“Rui-Ruuuuuiiiiiii!!” Emu burst through his door, forgetting to knock, Nene holding onto her with Rin, trying to stop her from opening the door, failing.

“Wh- What's… going on.” He slowly opened his eyes, immediately meeting Emu's tear-filled eyes.

“What's wrong?” He sat up in a panic.

“WE- We’re OUT of fooooood!” Emu cried dramatically, giving him puppy eyes as Nene scowled, and Rin squeezed into his room past the two.

“We tried to stop her, but she's too strong…” Rin frowned, waving her arms around in a frenzy.

“Pleeaaaassseee can you go to the store…?” Emu frowned, to which Rui calmed down, sighing.

“You have got to be joking...” He groaned, pushing his hair back with his hand.

She was not joking.

“Fine.”

“YAY!” Both Emu and Rin jumped up and down in excitement, to which he winced at their shouting.

“Why are you cheering, Rin? You're supposed to be on my side here!” Nene crossed her arms.

“Ehehe…”

“Right after I take a nap,” he added as he lay back down in bed.

Immediately, her smile fell.

“Nuh uh! Time is running out! We might starve to death by then!” she huffed, placing her hands on her hips.

“If I do not sleep for at least five more hours, I am going to commit homicide, and I think I already have an inkling of who my first victim will be.” Rui gritted his teeth, his eye twitching.

“...Noted!” Emu smiled nervously, giving a thumbs-up.

The three left him alone until the sun set, before Nene woke him up, knowing that sunset was around the time Rui liked to do stuff.

“Wake up. Your family needs you to go hunting,” she joked, shaking him awake.

“Do I really have to?” he complained, not acknowledging her joke, placing the palms of his hands on his forehead in exhaustion, despite the long sleep he had just gotten.

“Yes. Now get dressed.” She rolled her eyes.

“Ugh…”

He stayed still for a bit longer as Nene stared at him.

“Rui! Get up!” She shouted, to which he covered his ears.

“Fine- Fine!” He groaned, getting up.

He put on his usual black and teal attire, his mask on as well.

He brought along headphones, because heaven knows he was NOT about to go out without some kind of distraction from just how much he did not want to go outside.

He grabbed his bag, taking along his laptop, weapons, and various tech junk.

Just in case, of course.

He raced out into the city on his motorcycle, this time with the hopes of not needing Nene to care for him again.

Nothing would happen, hopefully.

It would just be another uneventful day.

Just simple grocery shopping.

Just simple… Errands.

That's all.

Right?

⋆˚☆˖°⋆｡° ✮˖ ࣪ ⊹⋆.˚‧₊˚♪ 𝄞₊˚⊹⋆˚☆˖°⋆｡° 

He should have known better, really.

Him? Having an easy task??

It was laughable.

He was detecting multiple sources of disturbance within the areas he drove through using his visual aids, but he remembered that they had been rather faulty recently.

At least they weren't entirely disabled.

Red markers popped up occasionally, but nothing stood out as much as the giant beeping red alert in the dead middle of his eyes.

His signals were freaking out, and most importantly, wrong.

The placement of the markers was off by miles.

He made his way to an underground part of Shibuya, known only to the people who grew up there.

It was a rather small area, but it was lovely.

It was his favorite place in all of Japan, besides maybe the quiet countryside.

He slid to a stop and collapsed his bike, reaching the entrance.

It was inside a train station, but the inside had been completely revamped.

Stores lined the walls, and the familiar sense of humanity made itself abundant.

No neon, blinding lights in sight.

Not even a mere cellphone.

He took his headphones off out of respect, keeping them around his neck.

He made his rounds to each store, grabbing all the items Nene had told him to, including the vegetables he wouldn't be eating.

After he got done, he made his way to one last store.

A taiyaki shop.

He wanted to grab something for everyone, as this was a favorite amongst the group.

He also knew the people working there very well.

“Ah- Welcome back! What will you have?” The older woman lit up when she noticed him standing there.

“The usual, please.”

“Of course.” She smiled before one of the girls working there walked over to the counter to talk to him.

She had light pink hair, tied up in a bun.

She seemed to be relatively bubbly.

“Ah- Is that you, Rui?” She beamed, reaching over the counter to pet his head.

He embarrassingly stopped her hand, sighing.

“Shush. You know I'm trying to stay undetected. Don't go throwing that name around.” He huffed, pulling his mask down to his chin.

“Oh, you'll be fine~! How have you been? You been eating proper meals?” She questioned, poking him in the chest.

“I am! Stop worrying about me. Am I not allowed to buy groceries for my family?” He smiled, teasing her.

“What-EVER! I'm sure you've been busy, doing all that cool ninja shit. Invite me over sometime, jerk.” She laughed loudly, pulling his ear.

“Ow- Mizuki… Fine, will do,” he sighed with a smile.

He said goodbye and went back above ground.

He could tell something wasn't right, but he wasn't quite sure what.

The wind blew a cold breeze through his hair in every direction, and the sounds of distant concerts made it hard to listen carefully.

He figured it would be best to go somewhere open, just in case he was being followed.

He scaled a nearby building that seemed to be out of use and crouched down at the ledge, looking off at the lights for a moment.

He knew he was right.

The feeling of eyes on his back didn't cease.

He looked around, quickly grabbing his dagger.

It was quiet.

Normally, Rui would have detected it, but his signals were completely wrecked.

Without a second thought, he swung back full force, dagger in hand, almost stabbing the person standing behind him in the eye.

“You caught me," an irritating voice behind him jived, stepping toward him.

Without missing a beat, the person kicked the blade out of his hand and round-kicked Rui in the shoulder.

He stumbled backwards, watching his blood flick off the spikes of the mystery attacker’s boots, choking back a pained sound, a piercing pain shooting through his nerves.

He pushed past the throbbing ache, resheathing his blade and grabbing a punch knife from his belt instead, closing the distance within milliseconds.

He punched with his uninjured arm, knife in between his knuckles, but each jab was met with a dodge.

The figure put his hands up innocently, laughing at his attempts to stab him.

“Hey, hey! Easy there- I'm not looking for trouble. Honest.”

Rui remained far away from him, glaring at him with intensity.

“Who are you?”

“Just a friendly passerby! I'm sure you remember me, though.”

“Remember you? Stop with the mysterious act, it doesn't do you any favors.”

He rushed forward, gripping the other’s hoodie tightly, swinging him forward, and kneeing him in the stomach.

As he leaned over in pain, he giggled in a sickeningly cheerful tone.

“You're strong.”

Their eyes met, the blonde's instantly going wide as his head jolted up.

He sounded familiar. 

“Who are you? I won't ask again,” Rui asked, equipping his weapon once more, lowering his body a bit in a position to strike at any moment.

“Just someone looking to right the world’s wrongs.”

Rui could hear the smug grin on his face even past his mask. 

Right as he was about to lunge forward, his sight started to malfunction as well.

“Wh-” Rui tried to move his arms and legs, but they locked up, refusing to move an inch.

Then, the figure pulled something out of his pocket.

An entrancing clinking of keys.

“Hate to do this to you, but it was the only way you'd listen to me!” The masked figure held up some keys, twirling them around carelessly.

This one had a purple cat attached and some moon charms.

It seemed to match the ones he was given.

He pulled off his hood and mask, revealing that familiar blonde and pink hair that Rui had grown to loathe more and more with each time he saw it.

“You,” Rui panted, still gripping his knife in that same position, unable to do anything.

“Yep! Now, will you hear me out?” 

He got closer, crouching down a bit to meet at eye level.

“As if I have a choice,” Rui strained, trying to break free from the restraints.

“Don't be so cruel! I know there's a part of you that is at least a little bit curious about what I have to say.” He laughed as if there were no smile behind it, brushing some hair out of Rui’s face.

“What do you want?” he spat coldly, still staring dead into his eyes, knowing that he wasn't breaking free any time soon.

“What do I want?” His smile dropped as he put a hand on his chin in thought, standing up straight.

“Well, that's pretty simple,” he shrugged, regaining the smile.

“I want you.” 

He stood before the vigilante, his smile reminiscent of nails on a chalkboard.

The response caught Rui completely off guard, causing his focus to decrease immensely.

He placed his hand under the boy’s chin, holding his face up to look him in the eyes.

“And I refuse to let you get away from me ever again.”

“Again…?” Rui mumbled in confusion, a disgusted glare on his face.

Tsukasa took a moment to scan every aspect of the boy’s face before letting go.

The whole time, Rui was grappling with his mind, trying to solve this impossible labyrinth that was the blonde’s words. None of it made any sense.

Then, before he knew it, his body could move again.

Without a word, he dashed toward the blonde, grabbing him in a chokehold.

“Did you expect me to find that flattering?” he gritted his teeth in revolt as he dug his knife into the other’s neck.

Despite the position he had him in, Rui couldn't help but feel a slight shiver down his spine at just the thought of this guy.

As strange as it sounded, he wasn't sure just what it was about him that creeped him out so badly.

Was it his words? The way he spoke? The way he smiled?

Maybe it was all of it, or maybe it was something else he couldn't quite put his finger on.

He felt like something more was going on beneath the surface.

He looked down at the boy, his fingernails now stabbing into his arm, clawing at his flesh as he laughed.

“You're quick. All the more reason why you should be working for me.” He looked up at Rui, grinning wildly.

His eyes shot wide in revulsion as he stared down at him.

He had this guy at knifepoint, yet here he was- laughing and smiling.

“You’re ill,” he scoffed in disbelief.

“Me? You're trying to kill me for no reason!” he pointed at him, still looking up at him intently.

“No reason? You swung first.”

“Did not! You tried to stab my eye out! Your memory has gotten so much worse, I swear.” He rolled his eyes.

Yet another strange comment.

“Enough of this. You can disable my body mods. How?” Rui interrogated him, watching his mannerisms closely, driving the knife slightly further into his skin, causing a small drop of blood to run down his neck.

“Don't worry about it, sweetie,” he smiled with a rather peeved undertone, tapping his cheek with his hand twice before kicking Rui in the shin with his spiked boots.

He stopped himself from making any noise and held onto him despite faltering a bit, pressing the knife even further.

“Does your life mean nothing to you?!” he strained, trying to catch his breath.

He could tell that the blonde was struggling to speak, so he let up a bit.

“Fine, fine. You got me,” he groaned in annoyance, but didn't let the expression rest on his face for even a second before it changed right back to a smile.

“Just,”

He managed to wriggle out of his hold, getting fairly far away from the other so he couldn't pull him into another hold.

“not physically, that is.”

“Look, I don't want to fight, okay?” He smiled, holding his hands up to show he had no weapon, but Rui didn't believe that for even a second.

“Why do you need my help if you can fight perfectly fine on your own?”

Rui tried reasoning with himself that this guy wasn’t some weird stalker, but deep down, he knew something was exceptionally amiss with him.

And maybe he didn't want to admit that they were the same in some aspects.

“Can’t an idol get a break? All those lights hurt my head. I don't wanna have to fight, too!” He just gave an innocent expression, looking down, watching the blood from his neck slowly trickle down.

“So you're going to employ me to be your entertainment? A decoration? A way to avoid inconvenience?” Rui seethed, pissed off that this had taken up so much of his time already.

“Ah,” he gasped, making Rui think, for just a moment, that he realized the error of his ways.

“Look what you did. You went and blemished my skin…” he sighed, wiping the blood on his neck away.

“Are you even listening to me?” Rui frustratedly sighed.

“I'll listen when you agree. Now then, what do you say?” he spoke warmly, stepping closer to Rui and looking at the inventor with a smitten yet disturbing smile as he held his blade up in defense.

“I'd say you're a lunatic and straight up out of your mind,” Rui shot back, tightening his grip on his weapon, but he was unable to help the smile that was growing on his face.

He couldn't tell why his body decided that was the appropriate reaction, but it's not like he's ever been very harmonious with himself either.

“You're no better than I am.” He kept walking forward, his lips contorted in a vile manner.

“I bet you're just as much of a fraud and weirdo as I am.”

Rui stepped back a bit in caution.

“I bet you want to kill me, don't you?”

The more he backed away, the closer he got to the ledge of the building.

He couldn't get any further away, almost slipping.

He regained his footing, his vision blurring as broken, red flashing warning signs appeared, his blade held out in front of him.

“I will not hesitate to hurt you,” he warned.

“Then hurt me,” Tsukasa growled, running at him.

He threw a few quick jabs at the blonde as he moved away from the edge.

The two exchanged a few attacks, none of which hit, before Tsukasa managed to land a front kick on his already injured shoulder.

He almost dropped to the floor, holding his arm in pain, but he picked himself up and continued, even so.

He tried to get close enough to pull off an osotogari despite his almost inoperable arm, but was caught midway through and slammed against the wall of the roof’s doors.

Tsukasa held him by the throat, calmly observing him.

“You've got one hell of an amalgamation of fighting techniques,” he noted, tilting his head in curiosity.

“I had to learn from experience rather than getting gold star stickers and a pat on the head. You know nothing of it,” Rui gasped, a smug smile on his face despite his lack of air and almost certain concussion.

“Hm… I'm sure. You look like you got your experience from one too many bar fights,” he mumbled, sighing.

 “You wish you were liked enough to get invited out. You ever been asked how your day was as a child? I think that would have solved some things,” he choked out a laugh to which the blonde huffed with not quite a smile, but not a frown either.

“You know…”

“You're much prettier when you're unable to speak. I told you this before, no?” His stare drilled holes into the vigilante’s eyes.

Rui laughed rasply, clawing at Tsukasa’s hands on his neck.

“Does it upset you that you're not going to be the first person I’ve killed?” Rui tilted his head, mocking him.

Tsukasa’s eyes widened in shock before that haunting smile returned, wide on his face.

“Ah, I suppose… but you can make it up to me by making sure to finish the job,” he laughed in an airy yet deranged manner, wrapping both hands around his throat as he began to strangle him.

It took a fierce struggle for Rui to break free from his grasp- punches at his face, kicking him, the sort.

He finally got free from the strangulation after he kicked him in the stomach.

Once he caught his breath, he immediately hooked him in the face.

It was a real stress reliever. He wished he could punch him every day, in fact.

“Can you at least try not to mess up my face?” he groaned annoyedly, running back at him.

“What, can’t handle a broken nose, pretty boy?” Rui taunted him, dodging most of his kicks, but was unable to get back quickly enough at the end.

Tsukasa took the hand that was holding his blade and forced it toward his face as he ripped Rui's mask off. 

Their equal force evened the blade out, leaving it so that if one of them eased up for even a second, someone would end up with one less eye.

Tsukasa’s face was right up in Rui’s, the two glaring at each other with frenzied glints in their eyes.

“It's a shame that I have to mess up that handsome face of yours, too, but you know what they say,” Tsukasa whispered.

“What goes around comes around.”

With that, he used his body weight to force the knife forward, slashing it across Rui's face, cutting open a giant gash on his cheek.

It reached too close to his eye, causing his warning signs to flash in a craze.

He knew that move had cut a few wires.

“There! Now we match!” he beamed, a deranged glint lighting up in his eyes.

Rui kicked him backward, panting for air as he scrambled to get back up, but was unable to get far.

In another effort to get away, he swiftly struck Tsukasa in the head with his elbow, to which the blonde pulled his hair, dragging him down with him to meet his face.

“All you know how to do is stall,” he laughed, moving his face closer to the other.

He wiped some of the blood dripping down his face with his finger, tasting it.

Rui shoved him away, standing up in horror.

He stared at him with petrified eyes like a deer in headlights, saying nothing at all.

"That's much better. You should learn to be quieter more often." He tried provoking him some more, but he was too stunned.

Tsukasa took advantage of his disarray by kicking at the mechanic a few times, his arms defaulting to taking the brunt of the force, punctured by the spikes of the other’s boots.

Luckily, the metal in his forearms prevented any lasting damage. 

“You know, you really should lay off the sweets. Your blood tastes like straight sugar. Grosses me out,” he jeered, not relenting on his kicks.

By this point, Rui was profusely bleeding, but he continued to block.

Collision after collision, he tired Rui out enough to axe-kick him on his other shoulder.

He got a solid hit on him, impairing both of his arms.

Something about the other's kicks felt so… 

Familiar. 

But now wasn't the time to go down memory lane.

Rui knew he couldn't win this fight.

He was sure that he had dislocated his shoulder from that, and if he didn't get out soon, he would be unable to rebuild what was broken. 

He didn't want to admit it, but he also didn't want to let his pride lead him to getting kidnapped by this freak.

Despite the nauseating pain and probable concussion he sustained, he ran like hell to the other side of the roof, grabbed his bag, and jumped off the side of the building.

Tsukasa stared in disbelief, running after him, looking down off the edge as well, only to see Rui flipping him off weakly, using one arm to prop up the other, as he slid down the side of the wall.

“COWARD!” he yelled down to the boy who irresponsibly sped off on his bike, very obviously obstructed by his injuries.

What a great day Rui was having.

⋆˚☆˖°⋆｡° ✮˖ ࣪ ⊹⋆.˚‧₊˚♪ 𝄞₊˚⊹⋆˚☆˖°⋆｡° 

It was dusk, the night before his debut performance, and as he normally did, Tsukasa was out sitting on the roof of his penthouse, letting his legs dangle off the side.

He didn't really know what he was looking for- maybe just a sign that things would improve.

It had been a while since he last got some sleep, let alone a proper meal, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could take.

He worked for people who respected him about as much as a dog respected its chew toy.

That's what he was, and all he would ever be.

He thought he was fine with it- that it didn't bother him to be a puppet, but as the nights dragged out in blurs each time the sun set, he was left with nothing but his thoughts (if he even let them pop up, always drowning them out with alcohol).

He looked off at distant billboards, glitchy holograms displaying his repulsive face across the city for all to see.

He was probably disrupting the sleep of someone unfortunate enough to be living next to that.

It was when he was looking down at the lights that he saw a flash of light speed through the city.

He couldn't exactly tell who it was, but he knew it was a person on a motorcycle.

They were going so fast that he couldn't help but notice.

In fact, it could be called reckless driving, really.

He looked closer, squinting, trying to make out any details about the person.

He couldn't tell anything more, as the other buildings blocked his view.

So…

Naturally, he followed.

Tsukasa was extremely proficient in stealth and close combat, so should a problem arise, he could quickly subdue it.

Though he really didn't want to have to deal with such a troublesome life, that seemed to be the only thing thrown at him.

In the earlier stages of his life, he had been picked on quite a bit by classmates in school, as well as when he started his job.

People would say his smile was creepy or that he was a weirdo, and get into physical altercations with him practically every day.

He learned to shake it off.

Only after giving them broken noses, of course.

He didn't enjoy hurting people- ...who was he kidding, of course he enjoyed hurting people- but it was his philosophy that when push came to shove, he shoved back.

He had been a bit of a problem child for a while, but any questions that arose from his family would be played off as an unavoidable option or self-defence, leaving out the details of his becoming increasingly more violent, though not that they would spare some time to listen or care.

He fought and trained under an underground kickboxing legend.

He was so strict and serious about his teachings that he refused to tell his name.

So while daytimes were spent learning idol culture and dance practice, night time was spent doing torturous and body-destroying training.

He actually ended up making a few friends, but he's not sure where they went off to.

Hopefully, somewhere better than where he was.

He hopped off the ledge, his gloves allowing him to slide down the side of the building with ease.

He threw out his collapsible motorcycle- it was becoming all the rage as of late for its convenience and style- and pursued the individual.

He followed them to a rather secluded part of town, where he saw them take their helmet off.

He hid behind a building, trying to observe the person.

As they let their purple and teal hair fall out of their helmet, Tsukasa quickly realized who it was. 

He had to admit, he was completely taken aback by just how captivatingly pretty he was.

He collapsed his bike and followed him down into what seemed to be a subway tunnel. 

He was completely mistaken.

This was a whole underground city.

There were shops lining every wall, but none had the migraine-inducing flashing neon advertisements like those above ground.

They were mostly family-owned shops, selling things like seafood, street food, ingredients, and the sort.

He was in awe.

He had never seen such a…

Quiet yet bustling place.

Sure, people were yelling in every which way, but it was…

Quiet.

Visually, but also… Sort of emotionally.

It was a nice pocket of preservation of how things used to be.

There were still night markets and stuff, but they weren't nearly as warm and natural as this one. It reminded him of when he was young.

He walked around, getting a glance of that purple hair again, walking rather hastily.

He followed behind, pulling his hoodie up.

There, he noticed that he had specifically stopped at a taiyaki stand.

He stood close, not trying to be caught or seem suspicious.

Nobody here seemed to be on their phones like in the city, so he opted for a newspaper- the most stereotypically cartoonish way he could have spied on someone.

He listened in on the conversation he was having with a girl around his age, occasionally peeking over at the two.

Tsukasa was a bit jealous.

And by a bit…

He meant a lot.

Why was he unable to form bonds like that?

Why can't he live a normal life?

Why couldn't he have what they have?

…

He had to make things go back to the way they were.

He couldn't let him get away again.

After a while longer of stalking, his luck eventually ran out, as he was later caught.

If the taller hadn't been so perceptive, he wouldn't have realized at all, but he should have known how he was.

Not to mention that the fight definitely didn't go down the way he wanted it to.

He ran away instead of giving it his all: that was something he couldn't forgive. 

Though…

That boy was just as wonderfully awful as he was.

From the weird, conflicted shine in his eyes, to the way he would hit with such force-

He was perfect.

Just as he had left him.

⋆˚☆˖°⋆｡° ✮˖ ࣪ ⊹⋆.˚‧₊˚♪ 𝄞₊˚⊹⋆˚☆˖°⋆｡°