(Y/n) had fallen asleep, but, in the middle of the night, she heard a hectic knocking coming from the front door, followed by the aggressive barking of Kiana. The younger girl looked around from side to side, looking for any trace of Narahashi, but he was gone. He probably returned back home before his curfew, so she was alone. Terrified, she moved to hide, knowing it was better to remain unseen than to try and fight, but then she heard their voice. A small beg could be heard from the front door, the younger girl creeping towards it before recognizing it as Takuya.

She opened the door cautiously, only to find the male collapsed on her doorstep, breathing heavily. The boy was in a bad state, too, bleeding all over his back. Quickly, she pulled him inside, taking care to lock the door securely once more, lest she have any more visitors. From the looks of him, the white-haired boy had just recently been hurt, but, since the wounds were already trying to patch themselves back up, it must have been a few hours. Kiana tried pawing at him to wake up.

Narahashi had come by to stock her first aid kit not too long ago, so, luckily for Takuya, there were plenty of supplies. The girl picked him up and gently cleaned the wounds, hearing him moan and wince at the pain. She wrapped everything carefully in bandages, too, setting him down on the coach with a blanket. It was a thin one, but it was better than nothing. Occasionally, she heard him sob, but, apart from that, he remained passed out the entire night.

"Takuya," she called in the morning, gently tapping at the male's head, "Takuya. Wake up, sleepy head."

Slowly, the white-haired male opened his eyes, quick to recognize the pain that began surging back at him. He arched his back, too, trying to get rid of it, but it followed him, making him cry out in pain. Takuya started to remember what had happened the previous night, his eyes watering up. It dawned on him then that (Y/n) must have patched him up again. Still, he would have been grateful even if she'd only taken him in. She always seemed to be there when he needed it. Some part of that was comforting despite the situation.

"I...don't have any food right now," the girl paused, flushing red, "I-I didn't know I'd have guests, but...there should probably be some hot chocolate powder around here somewhere. It'll have to be water I mix it with though."

"I-I'd be happy with anything. Or nothing! Just...thank you."

(Y/n) nodded and moved to scour the house for the desired drink, only to find the packets tucked safely away under her pillow. Narahashi must have left them there for her to find. She didn't remember hiding any there. It would have been a bad place to hide them; easily found. Still, she was happy to see them, setting off to heat up some water and offer the male the drink. She made one for herself, too, staring at it like it was some rare treasure.

"So, do you want to tell me what happened?"

"...not really, no."

"Alright. That's fine by me. If you don't have to tell, that means I don't either."

Takuya gave a conflicted look, gripping at his hot chocolate. She was smiling, so she was genuinely reassured by that, but...now he felt like he had to open up. Otherwise it would be like giving her a reason to leave him in the dark. As long as he told her, wouldn't that mean she would open up to him in the future, too? His lip quivered. He'd never liked a girl so much before. No, he'd never liked any girl before. So, he had to do whatever he could to keep seeing her.

"I got hurt," he admitted, looking away because of the shame.

"Yes, I can see that. You scared me to death when you came here pounding on the door in the middle of the night. Kiana, too. Was there a reason you came to me?"

The white-haired male frowned. No, he supposed it probably wasn't the best decision to go to her house when he knew she didn't feel comfortable with others inside it. But, at the same time, it wasn't like he could have gone to Shota. If he did, then the redhead would know, and if he knew...the cycle would just start all over again. Takuya thought, since the (h/c) haired girl was so good at keeping secrets, she might just help him with no questions asked. He stayed quiet.

"It's fine. I think I understand."

Immediately, he looked at her with horror. She understood? The implication of that was horrifying. Did she experience what he experienced? Did she get hurt like he did? Was her family - No, he tried not to think about it. He already knew that her domestic life wasn't great. That was why she was passing out at school and why she always looked exhausted. Still, was it wrong for him to feel a little happy because they had something in common?

"If you need a place to stay for a while," the girl paused, "I guess you can relax here. Only for a few days. I'm sure your rich friends' places would be better though."

"No! No, I...I appreciate it. Really. Uh, thank you."

"Can you...pay rent?" Another pause as she saw him make a terrified face, "It was worth a shot. I guess rich people have their problems, too. Believe it or not, but that doesn't make me feel better."

The male nodded. He wished he could have helped. She seemed to really like it when Rei and Yamato bought her things. (Y/n) smiled whenever she got a gift. If Takuya was just able to give her one, he would get one of her smiles, too. He would go out and buy her flowers and treat her to a fancy dinner, confessing his love for her. And he would treat her just the way he was taught. His cheeks turned pink at the little imaginary scene he'd created. Would she love him if he did those things? The thought made his heart race.

"Actually," he hesitated, giving a small smile, "I ran away. From home. My father is usually away for business, so it's just me and my mother, but we don't really...I mean, it can get...pretty scary, I think."

"Is she the one hurting you?"

"Hurt? I...It hurts, yes, but she's doing it for my own good. She just wants me to be happy and find a nice wife, so - What are you doing?!"

The white-haired male flinched as she picked up her phone and started calling someone. When she told him it was Shota, he begged her not to say anything. He thought she would have kept the secret, so now he was desperately trying to stop her. Takuya didn't want anyone to know, but, especially, he didn't want his friends to know. They would just make things worse and they would pity him, too.

"Relax," she mumbled, petting his head softly.

"(Y/n)! A-Ah, fuck!" Shota cursed uncharacteristically, the sound of chaos ensuing as he dropped his phone and scurried after it, only to return with a panting voice, "Ha, please ignore that. I was just so surprised that you decided to call me. What can I do for you?!"

"I just wanted to let you know that I'll be coming to school a bit late today. Could you tell our homeroom teacher?"

"Oh...I-I mean, of course, I can. I just...I was hoping I might see you today. Is something the matter? You were a bit out of it yesterday, too, so - "

"I'm fine. Oh, Takuya, too. He'll be late."

"..."

"Shota? Hello?"

"Takuya is with you?"

"Yeah. He stayed the night - "

"What?! But I was under the impression that - No, I mean...could I come over, too? I don't mind missing a bit of school, so..."

"But then you wouldn't be able to tell Ms. Naoka."

Shota went quiet on the other side of the phone. He ended up muttering something to himself but she couldn't quite make it out. Sooner or later, he just said he would do what she wanted and hung up. Takuya was on the verge of falling asleep from her reassuring pets, giving a small whine when she stopped.

"You don't have to tell me about everything," she murmured, "but you should know your limits. We'll start by taking a few periods off. You need rest."

"But I slept more than I usually do."

"When you have a bunch of slashes on your back, I don't think more sleep will hurt you. Class can wait."

Takuya opened his mouth again to protest, but she only pulled his head onto her lap, pulling the blanket back over him. With her reassuring him that he would be fine, he closed his eyes again. This time, it wasn't so hard to sleep. He faded away quickly, small and soft breaths forming as he slept. The male was very docile, it seemed, whether in sleep or awake. Kiana seemed to think he was boring, not at all as interested in him as she was Yamato.

Of course, the universe had it out for Takuya, apparently, as someone came knocking on the door to interrupt his sleep. He jolted up quickly, recognizing the manner of knocking and becoming terrified. The male tried dragging the (h/c) haired girl away to a hiding place but she wasn't so convinced it was anything to flee from. Still, he did try to stop her, tugging on her with tears in his eyes, silently begging her to just trust him.

All the same, she opened the door, met with the sight of an attractive young man. He was dressed formally in an Athainian-style suit that fit his tall and slender form perfectly. His pitch black hair pushed back just enough away from his sky blue eyes to show his forehead and a single piercing on his right ear. He must have been just a few years older than them but by no means did his mannerisms make it seem that way.

"Takuya," he gaped, glancing at the white-haired boy who had resigned himself to hiding behind the younger girl, "I-I'm relieved to find you here! Are you alright? Do you - "

"How did you know to find him here?" (Y/n) snapped, getting right to the point.

"Oh, it's...his phone. It's traceable, so I was able to come here. I'm sorry for intruding, but I really should be taking him back. I'm sure Ich - Ah, my lady, would be happy to reimburse you for anything."

"...He's a friend. It's not necessary. You can leave."

The girl attempted to slam the door on him but he was quick to hold it open, giving a conflicted look. It didn't fool her much. She didn't really care about his emotions. Takuya was the one quivering behind her just because this male had shown up. So, obviously, something was up. Even if he wasn't the one that hurt him - which she was certain he wasn't - he definitely had something to do with it.

"I-It's very important that I take him back! Please, understand. He needs to be treated by a professional, so - "

"Oh. Then you do know he was hurt. I'll take him to the hospital myself later. You don't need to worry about it."

"I'm his caretaker! This may be a really weird situation for you, I'm sure, but I'm directly responsible for his well-being. I wouldn't ever hurt him," the ravenette rambled, making Takuya flinch, "And, if he's not going to school either, I should - "

"He doesn't seem to like you very much."

The ravenette gave a down-heartened look at that comment, largely, in part, because he knew it was true. Takuya really didn't like him. Though it seemed, at some point in the past, he had liked him. Perhaps they'd been friends. Still, the case was that, in the present, Takuya needed him to go in order for him to feel safe. Far be it from (Y/n) to deny him that. She began trying to push the older male away from the house and back to the limousine he'd come from. He hadn't resisted until his phone started buzzing.

"Takuya," he mumbled, giving a knowing look to the boy while speaking to the person on the other side of the device, "Yes, I found him. No. No, it's not someone - Yes, it's a girl, but - "

"Stop!" Takuya shouted out, rushing over to silently beg the older male who was still talking to the unknown individual.

"Uh, well, that's a difficult...thing to...say. He - It might be true, but - "

"No. You can't tell her," the white-haired boy sobbed, clinging onto the older male's pants from his knees, "Please. Isao."

The ravenette looked conflicted again, staring down at his young master in shock. He probably hadn't expected him to say his name after what he had done. No, it was probably more likely that Takuya had resigned himself to that but was only using it as a negotiating card. Isao thought about it. He even opened his mouth to dismiss the woman's questioning, but then she spoke again and he found himself unable to object. Biting down on his bottom lip, he reached out to touch Takuya's head, trying to apologize in advance. Takuya leaned into the touch, too, brought about by the unspoken condition that Isao stay quiet. Suffice to say, he soon jolted away with another look of hatred when he broke the promise.

"124 Sahima Street. Yes. Yes. Oh, let me check. Uh, the plate says 'Shiratori'. Yeah," A pause. "I...don't think he'll tell me - Right. Sorry, Ichika. I'll do it as soon as I can. Oh, whatever you want. Mhm, I'll tell him."

As the phone call ended, Takuya made a point to flee right back to (Y/n), hugging her tightly. His hug was a little different than before though. The male was being brave, it seemed, standing in between her and the ravenette in a protective manner. Even so, he wasn't really fooling anyone with his tiny, little sobs and quivering legs. Still, she smiled. It was good to see that he was willing to protect her, too. How sweet.

"Young master," Isao called gently, rubbing his arm self-consciously, "Your mother...would like to teach you again. S-She said it would be different this time! Something new, so...please come back with me."

"I would have forgiven you," Takuya murmured, squeezing the younger girl tighter, "You just had to keep quiet. Was that too hard?"

"You know I have no choice but to - "

"Go away! I hate you! I know I'll get in trouble, but, if you can't bring me back, you'll get in trouble, too! It's worth it! So leave!"

"I...understand. But it isn't what you want for her to get in trouble, either, is it?"

The white-haired male glanced over to find the ravenette pointing at (Y/n). He flinched yet again and cowered, knowing just what he was trying to tell him. Takuya didn't want to go back. If possible, he would have liked to live there with the younger girl. She didn't hurt him. Her love was different. But, at the same time, he wanted to protect her just like Yamato and Rei. So, he hung his head and walked forward.

"Hey," the younger girl scoffed, grabbing at his wrist, "You don't have to do anything. I told you that you can stay, so - "

"Mm. Thank you," he smiled, a fuzzy feeling bubbling over him, "I-I can handle it. I'll be back at school soon."

(Y/n) gave a scowl. He did not want to go. She knew that. But he was determined to go anyway, likely to help her in some way. Angrily, she let go of him, instructing him to stay still for a moment. The girl came back with a piece of paper, passing it to him before letting him leave. Isao certainly looked like a servant, closing the door behind his young master, but there wasn't something quite right about his role.

As Takuya sat in the limo, he kept a distance from Isao, pushing himself against the door just the maximize the amount of space between them. To further distract himself, he opened the little note she'd written for him, a pale pink color coming to his cheeks. She'd given him her number. Quickly, he moved to enter the information into his phone before compiling a message to her. He sat there, stumped for the longest time, wondering just what would be appropriate to send her. The male didn't want to bother her with some tiny message that was just annoying.

At some point, he had deleted fifteen or so messages, getting antsy about it. A surge of courage luckily manifested within him, finally allowing him to hit send. Dread then washed over him as he waited for a response, only for him to be filled with joy when she texted back. It was emotionally exhausting for him, transitioning through so many different feelings, but, in the end, the smile on his face showed just how important it was to him. That was probably why he was in for a world of hurt with these "new lessons".