"Ryuu?" Kazu asked, his voice quiet in the large warehouse.
"Hey, Kazu," Ryuu replied, waving. "Hey, man. You're looking kind of pale. Should I call an ambulance? Or maybe..." His eyes narrowed in on Yuki's form, scissors still in hand. "The cops?"
Yuki frowned at Ryuu, lips twisted in a snarl. "Listen, kid. I don't know who you are or how you know Kazu, but-"
"Don't call him that."
"What?" Yuki asked, sounding indignant and a bit shocked at being interrupted.
"I said, 'Don't call him that.' Only his friends get to call him Kazu. To you, it's Kazuhiko, and even then, only if you're close, which, by the looks of it, you're not."
Yuki was practically fuming. "Listen-"
"No, you listen," Ryuu said, taking a step forward. "Kazu is my friend, and I don't like it when people like you try to take advantage of my friends, especially not when he was only here in the first place because he was playing the nice guy and trying to help this useless idiot out," Kazu said, toeing Taro with the tip of his shoe. He groaned but didn't get up. "Now give me the scissors."
"Or what?" Yuki sneered.
"Like I said. For whatever reason, Kazu plays nice guy." Ryuu glared at Yuki with an intensity that Kazu had never seen before in his sleepy senpai's eyes. "I don't."
Scowling at Ryuu, Yuki handed the scissors over, and as Ryuu cut the ties on Kazu's wrists, she ran out the door, ditching Taro.
Kazu was quiet, but after a moment, he spoke. "Hey, Ryuu."
"Yeah, Kazu?"
"Thanks."
Ryuu watched Kazu for a minute before giving him a light punch on the shoulder. "Hey, man. Friends don't thank each other. It's just expected that we help each other out. So next week, if I'm being held hostage in an abandoned warehouse..."
"Then I'll be sure to let someone more qualified than me know," Kazu said, still looking at the ground, but as Ryuu laughed, Kazu broke into a small smile before looking up.
"C'mon," Ryuu said, standing up and holding out a hand to Kazu, who accepted it after a brief pause.
"Hey, Ryuu?"
"Yeah?"
"What are we going to do about a shirt?" Kazu asked, looking down at the one that was now severed into a few pieces.
"Why? Afraid you'll make all the ladies faint and fall for you?"
"No. It's just...the blood and the bruises," Kazu said softly, looking down.
Ryuu's face momentarily clenched in anger before it smoothed out into his permanent look of calm. "I've got an idea," Ryuu said, winking.
***
Ten minutes later, Kazu was walking down the street beside Ryuu and wearing a t-shirt that until recently, had belonged to Taro.
Even so, Kazu kept getting weird glances.
"It's still not enough, huh?" Ryuu asked, more to himself than to Kazu. "C'mon. Follow me back to my place, and I'll get you cleaned up."
***
Kazu followed Ryuu into an ordinary-looking apartment.
"C'mon," Ryuu said, gesturing for Kazu to keep up with him as he navigated his way through the hallway and into what must have been the kitchen. "Take a seat at the table, and I'll be back in a minute."
Kazu did as instructed, looking around curiously while Ryuu rummaged around for something in the next room over and returned a minute later with a med kit.
"Help me out here," he said as he began lifting Kazu's t-shirt. With a grimace of pain, Kazu took off his shirt, revealing extensive bruising and some bleeding, not to mention the blood on his face.
"Why didn't you fight back?" Ryuu asked quietly as he washed the blood off with a wet cloth and applied bandages and gauze to Kazu's wounds.
Kazu tensed. "They were...holding something over me."
Ryuu nodded as he dabbed at the blood on Kazu'd temple. "That picture, right?"
Kazu's eyes darted to meet Ryuu's. "How do you know about that?" A cold realization gripped him. "She sent it out, didn't she? That-"
Ryuu shook his head, interrupting Kazu. "No. I was..." Ryuu paused and looked away before meeting Kazu's eyes. "All right, it's kind of embarrassing, but I was following you guys."
"Why?" Kazu asked, more curious than suspicious.
Ryuu leaned back in his chair, his left hand rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know. I guess I was worried about you. That Taro kid...the way you described him...he didn't seem like someone you should be hanging out with, and Yuki...well..." Ryuu shrugged as he went back to treating Kazu's wounds. "Never trust a pretty face."
Kazu stared at the kitchen table. "Thanks," he said quietly, loud enough for both of them to hear, but no louder.
Ryuu winked at him. "No problem. And hey? That thing about the picture? Don't worry about it. I can take care of the whole thing."
"Seriously?" Kazu asked in wonderment, staring at Ryuu, shocked. "Ryuu, why...why are you doing all of this for me?"
"Because we're friends, Kazu. That's what friends do."
He held out a fist, and Kazu bumped it with his own.
"Then promise me something, Ryuu."
"Yeah? What?"
"If you're ever in trouble, you have to let me know so I can help you out."
Ryuu just laughed. "Me? Trouble? No way." He cracked his knuckles. "Besides, what good are you? You were beaten up by a guy who barely weighed 120."
Kazu just gave Ryuu a half-smile. "You'll see one day. I hope it doesn't happen, but if you're in trouble and the only way to save you is to fight..." Kazuhiko shrugged.
"Why do I have to play damsel in distress?" Ryuu mock-complained, and the two of them laughed. Then Kazu left for the day after thanking Ryuu before he headed back to his own empty apartment to get some quality R&R (and hopefully heal his injuries).