There he was. Sona. The android had been missing for a day or two, but Haru thought he was investigating something. At times, he would shirk his responsibility to guard (Y/n) on the basis that there was a bigger threat. Still, the teal-haired male had always returned, and he always kept constant communication with the brunette. That was why seeing him reappear in pieces at the front of the embassy's doorstep was so concerning.

Haru brought him in, first and foremost, and then studied every little piece in his room to make sure there had been no tampering with him. Though, if someone was trying to tamper with him, they wouldn't have returned him in pieces since it was too obvious. Still, he inspected everything. To his surprise, he found evidence of water inside many components, but, more shocking was the fact that there was a note.

The brunette scanned over it. Though he had received many threats before on the basis of his "unethical technologies", it was strange seeing one in another language. He translated it to understand it came from a Vethelan supremist group, though that title could belong to a lot of things within the country. Whatever group had written the note had claimed that he and his father were invading Vethela to corrupt them and the earth with invasive computers. Upon further research, it seemed they had been denouncing the brunette even before he came to the country. He huffed.

The entire day was spent putting the android back together, replacing certain water-damaged places with spare parts. Thankfully, the brunette knew where everything went by heart, considering he had spent ages designing Sona, in particular. Still, even when the android was fully assembled, for some reason, he would not reactivate. Haru had to delve into his code just to determine what had gone wrong. He doubted the idiots that tore him apart did the research to see how he worked internally.

Though it took him a while to restart, eventually, the teal-haired male opened his eyes. They looked hollow and he had difficulty responding to external stimuli rapidly, but that could be fixed. What Haru was most interested in was his memory. He had made it one of the highest priorities for him to record and later identify assailants, just in case. But, unfortunately, the memories were all either distorted or completely lost.

"Do you remember anything at all?"

It took Sona close to a minute to recognize the language and formulate a response. His voice box was also damaged, warbling, but it was still understandable. As the android worked back from his memory, Haru took the time to customize a new one for him. Though, in the end, Sona didn't say anything past what the brunette, himself, knew. All he could recall was the memories he had backed up from the day before he was abducted.

Haru equipped Sona with newer parts, turning his attention, instead, to looking over all the data he had been given. From what he could see, some time in the day, Sona had gone out, his tracker insinuating it was somewhere within the palace, around the library. Then there was a spike of alerts, the first one of perceived aggression. Within a split-second, another alert was sent out about below zero temperatures. Then, after that, there was radio silence; Sona presumably incapacitated.

Before long, Haru was able to finish repairs, allowing Sona to function like normal. And though the android was still somewhat out of it, he nonetheless calmed down with time. It seemed the fear of death was present in him, though it was a bit different than for humans. After all, as long as there was someone to fix him and recover his data, he couldn't perish. Still, it affected him, the realization of fatality coming to him so suddenly. That worked in tandem with the pain he felt during the process of being torn apart.

"(Y/n)'s fine," the brunette affirmed, giving a stress-filled sigh, "But you seemed to view something as a threat to her. Rei?"

"I'm not certain. I felt suspicious of the flower in her room, but there's no way a flower could have done this to me."

"Did you go somewhere cold?"

"No."

Haru huffed again, shutting down his computer. There was nothing more to be gleamed from the information he had. Instead, he wanted to focus on running diagnosis checks on the android, the both of them going outside to test multiple factors. His balance module was fine, along with his depth perception. The same went for his combat capabilities and his ability to identify the people around him. When they had finished, (Y/n) returned, giving a small wave to the both of them. Sona returned the gesture. Haru stared.

"Something's wrong," he alerted her directly, pointing to the android, "He went offline."

"Is that why he's been missing? I just figured he was chasing someone. Did you catch them, Sona?"

"No. The opposite, possibly," the teal-haired male hummed, still unable to pull up clear images despite his attempts, "I was caught and disassembled. There was a note from an anti-tech group in Vethela, but it's odd that they returned me at all."

"Or that they were in the castle at all," Haru pouted.

"No, I think it's possible," (Y/n) sighed, placing her hands on her hips, "There's a lot of people in the castle like that. People are always glaring at Sona, and it's not like they've tried to hide it. I doubt groups like that are even discouraged by the royal family. Most tech is taboo here."

It was true that Vethela firmly rejected any kind of technological prowess. That being said, the (h/c) haired girl couldn't figure out if it was out of good reason or not. Most of the superstition revolving around tech was that it could pollute the sacred ground the country was founded on. Their limits on electricity and their prohibition of private transport stemmed from that as well. And, while it made the country a rare paradise, it formed another way Vethelans looked down on the rest of the world.

"Oh," Haru paused, remembering something important, "Rei is here."

"What? Since when?!"

"Dunno. You should stay away from the castle. I think he's here to stay."

"Then, they've finally given up hope for Orion. I guess Rei's going to be crowned king. That's not good for us."

In truth, Rei was not going to be a king of the people. He far more aligned with the goals of the nobility than his older brother who aligned with the common-people. And, since the blonde prioritized them, he definitely aligned far more towards tradition. That meant the moment Rei took the throne, Kazuya's attempts would be for naught. Rei would never agree to stop trading with Umayena. He adored their jewels as well as their steadfast services that catered to the wealthy.

More than that, Rei was inherently cruel. He enjoyed seeing people in pain, particularly the people he disliked. And though he had once adored the (h/c) haired girl, the moment she ran away from him, he only wanted to kill her for the betrayal. Disconcerting to both Haru and her, it was in their best interest to stay far away from him. Though, when he was to be the next master of the palace and the country as a whole, Valiende was more like a death trap.

"We should consider leaving Vethela," Sona argued, weighing the consequences of staying, "Whether or not you run into him, he's going to hear about a girl hanging around his cousin named 'Miss Shiratori'."

Though she didn't want to leave the paradise just yet, the girl had to consider it for her own safety. As they headed downstairs, they were confronted with yet another issue. Kazuya was seated on the couch, Bastien passed out on his lap. He watched the television in great concern, giving a distressed expression for his oldest son. As (Y/n) began watching, she covered her mouth in shock at the picture of Sona in pieces on the screen before the image transitioned to live coverage outside the palace gates.

"The Akahito family; a subject of wild debate in Valiende. Here on negotiations from Echal for still undisclosed reasons, they were subject to the discontent of a local protest group. The Vethelan Loyalists' Anti-Technology Organization, or VLATO, vandalized the personal android of Haru Akahito. Here at the gates of Valiende Palace, head of the organization, Andromeda Eliades, has rallied people together from the surrounding areas to protest the corrupting influence of this controversial family. Could you tell us a little bit about why you oppose Haru Akahito?"

Haru's brow twitched. He knew people didn't like him, and, frankly, he didn't care all that much what others thought of him. The brunette liked himself and his family liked him. That was all he really needed. But, he never thought that this dislike of him would result in such bias. Even if Vethela was a stupid country with stupid people and a stupid religion, he thought they were at least capable of recognizing a antagonist when they saw one. And yet, on the contrary, their language insinuated he was at fault for his intelligence. Furthermore, what pissed him off the most was the fact that they referred to the brutal act of dismembering Sona as "vandalism".

"Of course," the leader of the group nodded, motioning to all the people behind her carrying signs that outright insulted the brunette, "All of these brave people came out to say one thing: Haru Akahito is a corrupt, foreign demon. He's come here to our beautiful country to see us in ruined, polluted air by selling us weapons and robots that will tear us apart. He wants to destroy our eternal flower's protection and see us fall to the whims of technology."

"And, is defacing his android a form of your protest?"

"Absolutely. As it stands, that android is the only one in Vethela, and we plan to keep it that way. By taking it apart and putting it on their doorstep, we've tried to make this clear. We want Haru Akahito to leave Vethela and never return, along with his technology."

"Are there any other plans?"

"Our goal is to meet with the royal family. We want to bring our concerns to them so they can make the decision to remove the Akahito family."

"Anything else you'd like to tell us?" the reporter inquired, many other protesters shouting at the camera.

"Haru Akahito is a demon!"

"A freak!"

"He'll bury us all in ice!"

(Y/n)'s eyes widened as a sign was focused on the screen. With all their talk of demons and evil, she should have seen it coming. Everyone should have, but, the moment he saw it, Haru bolted out the door to confront them, emotion driving him in the usual way. She followed hurriedly, concerned for what he was planning on doing. In truth, he probably didn't have a plan, and she knew that well. That was why she had to pull him back before he did anything to further fuel their discontent. Though, when they had drawn him as Zydon, there was no changing their mind on how evil he was.

As Haru approached the gates, the protesters began shouting at him, the news camera pointing to him. He burned red in anger, clenching his fists and biting back tears. They called him all kinds of names and compared him to their ultimate evil being, telling him to go back to his country. All the while, he seethed in ire, wondering just what he had done, or why idiots were ganging together to combat a problem that didn't exist. After he had reached his boiling point, someone in the crowd yelled, claiming his creations were killing them all.

"What do you think gets you to work every day?!" Haru screamed, tears streaming down his face in spades, "Huh?! What do you think makes it possible to feed all of you?! How do you think you get to live in comfort?! What in the fuck do you think is keeping your precious fucking prince alive!?"

Silence washed over the crowd at that last question. He thought they finally understood they were protesting a better life. Yet, on the contrary, as they thought over his words, they began to get even more rowdy. Some people continued screaming obscenities at him, but others started throwing things. Whatever they could get their hands on became directed towards him; a rock colliding with his eye. He stumbled back with a gasp, feeling blood coursing down his cheek, his breathing becoming erratic. Painfully, he pressed his hand into his eye, knowing, intrinsically, something was very, very, very wrong. Suddenly, it became cold and his limbs felt like they were not his own anymore.

The bodyguards (Y/n) brought surrounded him, protecting him from further harm. She, on the other hand, rushed to the brunette's side and draped a jacket over his head, her heart squeezing in panic. Frightened, he gripped onto her shirt, his other hand continuing to cover his right eye. He stuttered, unable to formulate a full sentence in his shock. The girl grabbed at him and pulled him up, taking him as far away from the scene as possible to get him treatment. All the while, he couldn't snap out of it, crying and trembling. Blood mixed with the tears to a point where everything was red. His arm was slung around her shoulders, the girl forcing him to walk.

Five seconds out in view of the public and he had been assaulted to the point of that. She felt anger, but, more pressingly, she felt concern. Haru had never cried just because he got hurt. It didn't matter how bad it was. She had even witnessed him breaking his arm due to an accident in his lab. He only winced and moved to go to the hospital silently. There were no tears involved. So, seeing him breaking down like that was not something she had learned to handle.

"It's alright," she tried to reassure him, only met with him shaking his head and denying he would be fine, "We're going to get you to the doctor and they'll make your eye all better."

"They won't. They won't," he cried, pressing tighter on the area around his eye, only for her to snatch his hand away.

"Stop that. They absolutely will fix it. And then we'll gather up all of those idiots and put them in jail. I'll make sure whoever did this to you gets the same treatment. We'll see how they like bleeding."

"You can't."

"Of course I can. Every single last one of them will pay."

"You can't," he repeated, beginning to hunch over from the pain, "Everyone in the world hates me. You can't get them all."

It was probably not the pain that made Haru so shaken up. In fact, with the amount of blood he was losing, more likely than not, there was a ton of adrenaline to soak up that pain. On the contrary, the real pain came from the constant hatred of him. Though he was more idolized in Echal than anywhere else in the world, there was still criticism from so many sides. Before he showed his talent, they thought he was a spoiled brat riding off the coattails of his father, and, after, they thought he was a weapon maker. There was no winning for him.

She couldn't say anything, so he broke down further. The girl couldn't imagine what was going through his mind. She only knew that it wasn't anything good. Even as she managed to get him into the imperial doctor's office, those thoughts didn't disappear. The doctor came rushing up to inspect him, but the brunette only flinched, a feeling of distrust flashing through his eye. Panicking, she laid him down on the bed to explain what happened. Haru, fearful she would leave, gripped onto her shirt, determined not to let go no matter what.

"Is he allergic to anything?" the doctor asked first, all of the medical staff there gathering materials for cleaning and numbing.

"No, but he's really sensitive to crowds of people. He's probably going to struggle."

"Understood. If you need to call anyone, please do so now. Otherwise, you can take a seat here. It's important he remains calm and doesn't move."

"Got it."

The girl wasted no time sitting down and holding onto Haru's hand. He was obviously still panicking, trying to avoid the doctor's touch and biting down hard on his lip. For her, it was difficult to both stop him from doing those things and calling Kazuya. The man sounded about as panicked as she was over the phone, a crying Bastien in the background. Though he said he was rushing over, he begged her to keep him on the line to get updates.

"Stop it! Stop!"

Haru tried yanking himself away from the doctor. He also tried to kick the assistants away, shivering at the strangers' proximity. And though, after much difficulty, (Y/n) had gotten him to stop, he demanded her in return. He used her to keep himself still, pulling her into him and hugging her tightly. At some point, it was so tight that she couldn't breathe, but she put up with it as long as she could. When he would squeeze her, it was also painful, but, at least, he was letting the doctor help him.

Kazuya came in just before the doctor finished assessing the state of the brunette's eye. The man was disheveled and panicked, making a beeline straight for his child. As always, he tried to keep a calm and collected appearance, but she could tell he was anything but. And when the doctor began to tell them what happened, the girl covering the brunette's ears to prevent him hearing, she could visibly see him break a little. His eyes watered up, but, so as not to startle Haru, he pushed it deep down.

"We'll have to remove it completely."

"You can't save it?" Kazuya questioned, holding tightly onto his son's hand, "There's not even a chance?"

"I'm afraid not. We need to start right away, but only one person can stay after we put him to sleep. I'll let you discuss it while we administer anaesthetic."

Kazuya and (Y/n) exchanged one look. One. In many ways, she didn't understand the man. He was a father, but not one that she thought could even exist. Before anything, he loved his family. And though he spoiled his children, he would do just about anything for them. That was something she couldn't understand. But, after spending so long knowing the man, she was well aware of how much his sons meant to him. That was why, no matter what she did, she couldn't take away the chance to stay with Haru, even if she was worried to death about him, too.

The both of them reassured the brunette, the girl petting him gently and the man promising him all kinds of treats when he woke up. And though Haru was still terrified, gripping onto both of them, his grasp slowly weakened as he faded away into a forced sleep. As she stood up to leave, Kazuya hugged her very tightly. She didn't know if he was thanking her or if he was using her as a form of support, too. But, all the same, she blushed, hugging him back. Even if she tried to act like Kazuya was a friend or a boss, he was every bit her father as he was Haru's.

She sat outside the office, waiting and waiting for hours just to see the brunette alright. It didn't matter if he lost his eye or if he somehow lost both. She just wanted to see him alive. At some point, Verona came along, surprised to see her. When she was told the situation, the woman very kindly let her stay in a spare bedroom close to the ward. And though the (h/c) haired girl couldn't sleep, staying away the entire time while her chest compressed in guilt and fear, it was nice to have a soft mattress under her. It took hours before she was even given any news. And, when she was finally told she could return to the office, she froze in place at the sight of Kazuya greeting her - an eyepatch covering half of his face but showing a completely grateful smile.