Akari remained pinned under Rei, the older male taking a lot of delight in sliding one of the broken pieces of the vase against his playmate's cheek. Arguably, Akari received more enjoyment from it, especially since he was being more vocal. All the same, his squirming only spurred the older male on, prompting him to push into his lips harder. He must have bit down on Akari's tongue, too, considering he made a little yelp of pain.

"Haven't you gotten out of your clumsy phase yet, Akari?" Rei chuckled, following the tease with a violent slap across the male's face, "You know that was a gift from my brother. What am I supposed to do now that it's broken? I mean, do you think he'll notice if I glue it back together with gold?"

"Sorry. I - "

"You will be sorry."

The noise Akari made was one of utter anticipation, a shiver running down his spine as Rei gripped firmly onto his hair and yanked him up. It was then that the younger male noticed the ajar door, his look of ecstasy replaced by one of horror. Unable to even convey the information to the older male in words, he panicked, his breathing escalating as Rei slammed his back to the wall and began choking him with a sadistic smirk.

Akari attempted to tell him about the younger girl peering in at them with what little breath he had left, only for Rei to completely ignore him. The older male thought it was just part of their usual game, closing in for another selfish kiss. Panicking, Akari quickly brought his hand up to stop him from doing so, resulting in another violent slap across the cheek. The younger male was sent to the floor with the force of the slap, tears springing to his eyes as (Y/n) entered the room. He couldn't look her in the eyes, let alone at her form. He didn't deserve it.

"What are you doing?!" the younger girl shouted, making Rei flinch and turn to face her in surprise.

"Cupcake," the male purred, placing his hands on his hips and chuckling, "Don't worry about him. This is how he likes it. Though, it's a bit embarrassing you found out about my little hobby. This was supposed to be the last time, too."

"Is this really that casual for you? Also, what do you mean 'last time'? And is this - "

"Sometimes people like to let off stress by playing with something cute. Don't you know that? Or is it that you're jealous? I'd love it if you were, but there's no need to be. Akari can't compare to you. He's just my little pet."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the male in question flinch. He looked hurt. Of course, he had already sworn to her that she was his number one priority, but maybe he had been with Rei for so long he mistakenly believed it was different for him. Either way, while one of them was wallowing in pity over the statement, the other had a large smile on his face. Clearly, it was an unfair relationship.

"I knew you two were a thing," Haru grumbled, wrinkling up his nose, "I caught you guys in the broom closet at Jindei, but you said you guys were sleeping. I hate it when you lie to me."

"But you believed it," Rei scoffed, "That's on you."

The brunette let out another sound of discontent. He should have known better than to trust Rei. He was well known for lying. All the same, Haru didn't really know what to think. He felt bad for Akari. He could have done better. Taking another suspicious glance at the older male, Haru once again pouted angrily. Stupid Rei.

"I'm telling Shota."

"Oh no," the blonde said with a sarcastic tone, staring at his nails lethargically, "Stop. Please don't tell dad. He'll totally beat my ass. I shiver just thinking about that look he'll give me."

"...I'm telling Yamato."

"What?!" Rei perked to attention, "Why? What's he gonna do? Akari was a willing participant. You don't have to tell him."

Haru paused. He really loved Yamato. If Shota was the group dad, Yamato was the group mom. But, more poignantly, Yamato was the one that took Haru under his wing even when he was being a brat and protected him like his own kid. He shared that in common with Akari. So, of course, if Haru went and told what Rei had been doing to Akari, there was going to be a fight. Haru wouldn't have done anything if Rei had told the truth back then, but lies were ugly, so Rei was mean, so Yamato needed to punish him.

Haru ran out of the room like that, screaming "mom" down the stairs to get the older male's attention. That made Rei bolt after him, too, likely trying to shut him up before he got in trouble. (Y/n) could hear a tumble, both of them presumably falling down the stairs in their haste. She sighed. It wasn't the time to be humorous, especially not when Akari remained on the floor in complete shame.

"I'm sorry," he whimpered, shivering out of terror, "I-I just...I didn't lie. I really am...more loyal to you, but - but - I..."

"Let's go talk in my room. It feels wrong...to do it here."

Akari flinched. He ended up dragging himself after her, kneeling down on the floor in front of her bed. He hadn't learned since last time she didn't want him to lower himself like that. She had to tug him up to sit on the bed, sighing when he stood straight up. It wasn't lost on her how he also tried to lower his head to not be above hers. At the very least, he didn't freak out that much when she touched him, but it wasn't exactly a pleasant feeling for him to stop himself from even sitting next to her.

"Whatever," she sighed, "Did you tell Rei I wanted to escape?"

"No! No, I wouldn't! I haven't told him anything like that!"

"Then, I trust you."

"B-But...I was...with Rei...kissing and..."

"Should I not trust you?"

The blonde glanced up in horror, adamantly refusing that. She could absolutely trust him. He was planning on following whatever she wanted no matter what. Of course, he realized soon enough the question was rhetorical, making him give a strained groan. He wasn't even sure what he wanted to happen now that she found out about their relationship. Maybe...Maybe he just wanted her to punish him for it. That felt right.

"Are you mad?" he asked suddenly, placing his hand over his heart, "Do you want to hit me? Y-You can! You can hit me or cut me or - "

"We've been over this. I don't want any of that."

"B-But you're mad at me! I know you are! I-I know I messed up! I'm not supposed to be in a relationship when I'm serving you! And...I knew that but I still did it...but I just...Rei..."

"Akari," the girl called, forcing him to make eye contact with her, "Do you love - "

"No!"

The reply was immediate. The reply was passionate. But the reply was a lie. They both knew that. She watched him break down over figuring that out, the male coming to terms that he had lied to her. That was the one thing he was never supposed to do, and yet, he went and did it. He fell back to his knees, fighting back his tears. The male had never felt more pathetic than he did at that very moment. And that was saying something.

"I'm sorry," he quivered, "I really - "

"Clearly, you only value my opinion, so just tell me about it. I can decide for you, if you really want."

Akari hesitated. He really did. Maybe he wanted to avoid telling her just how much he loved Rei, or maybe it was that he didn't really want to lose any of her trust, even to hide his affections from her. But she was right. He trusted her own opinion far more than that of his own. So, slowly, he began hanging his head, clutching at his pants as he stared at the floor. He would have burned a hole through it, too, with his incessant gaze.

"Just...I was five when I met him. A-And something just clicked. I just met him and I knew...he was different. Like you. No, it was different! I meant, at the time, I thought that he...was a god. I-I still know that he is, but...when I saw you, I knew it was different. But, you know, when I saw him for the first time, I-I wanted to devote myself to him. But it's not like I - "

"You didn't know me back then. I'm not offended. Just tell me your true feelings," she sighed, watching the blonde soften slightly, the male darting his eyes away.

"I...couldn't help it. I wanted to be with him every second of every day and I wanted to make him happy and...somewhere along the way...I think...it became something more. But, at the same time, it felt like...something was missing? I-I loved his attention and I did whatever I could to get more of it, but...it just wasn't exactly right. I don't know how to explain it."

"But you're sure that I'm a goddess?"

"Yes! I've never been more sure of anything in my life! It was instant! I felt it in my body, my heart, my mind, my soul, my - "

"Calm down."

Akari's eyes sparkled. He wanted to tell her more about how sure he was about him belonging to her; how she was the one he was destined to serve. She could see his passion for servitude even in the way he squirmed a bit, the male biting back a shy smile. He really was in his own little world just thinking about her, even when she was right there in front of him. It was hard to question that kind of loyalty.

"How long have you been...doing stuff like that with him?" she questioned, watching him go pale again.

"I...don't know. A while, I guess. He started it. N-Not that that matters! I know I was wrong, I just - "

"Why did he start it? It didn't...really look like it was out of love."

"Rei...I don't really know, but he got weird after his grandmother died. And then his brother - I mean, brothers - left Vethela and his parents divorced. I think he was lonely. I'm the only one...that never left him even though I knew who he really was, so..."

That made sense. At least, it made sense to (Y/n). If she was in Rei's situation where her family was leaving one by one, leaving him cooped up in a palace where he was unable to be himself, she would have gone crazy, too. More than that, she would have done whatever she could to keep Akari by her side, even if it meant stringing him along and toying with his feelings. Well, that was what she thought Rei's thought-process was like. She didn't know for sure what his motivations were.

"You just played along with him? Even though you knew he was toying with other people?"

"I...I'm just lucky to have even gotten a bit of his attention. I never wanted to monopolize him. That's not...I just...obey."

"Do you know what you sound like right now?" the (h/c) haired girl chuckled humorously, "Like you would just turn a blind eye if I was interested in someone else? That's - "

"But I would," A pause. "I would, goddess. I'll help you if you want to escape. I'll help you if you want a new house. I'll help you if you fall in love with someone. I...I'll help you with everything. W-With anything! I...I mean it. I'd even - "

A soft gasp escaped from Akari as a bittersweet sensation began stinging on the right side of his cheek. Softly, he touched his hand to it, a light pink coloring his face. She'd hit him. She had finally, finally hit him. The blonde began smiling, unable to stop. He had been waiting so long for her to do that, the male glancing up in hopes that she finally relieved her anger with him. But he only saw a look of frustration.

(Y/n)'s lip trembled, her eyes shaking as she felt her hand stinging, too. She was on the verge of tears, squinting her eyes to prevent her from spiralling into crying. And while Akari was in disbelief, not knowing what he had done wrong, she couldn't help but think the same. He wasn't lying. He really was adamant on ensuring she had the freedom to do whatever she wanted, and she knew he had the power to make it happen, too. So, why hadn't he? That was the question

After all of her suffering and her constant fear, why hadn't he come out before and rescued her? Why hadn't he done more for her? Why didn't he just know she would have accepted him wholeheartedly? The answer, of course, was because, in any other situation, she never would have believed a word Akari said. She would have dismissed him and turned away in distrust over such ridiculous statements. The anger was unfounded.

"I-I'm not lying!" Akari panicked, squeezing at his shirt and leaning forward, "I would do anything you wanted me to! I-I'm doing it now, aren't I? I'm helping you plan your way out of here! Goddess? Goddess...?"

As she once again lifted her hand, the blonde flinched, squeezing his eyes shut and bracing for another hit. However, he only felt the soft touch of her palm on his head. She began rubbing the top of his head like he was a dog before she practically fell into squeezing him. Startled and uncertain of what to do, he held his hands up, holding his breath, but it became clear she wasn't planning on letting go any time soon. So, awkwardly, he tried copying her behavior, lightly putting his arms around her. He heard her laugh through her sobs.

Akari didn't know what she was doing. He didn't know what emotions she was feeling. The male didn't even know what he was supposed to help her with. All the same, weirdly enough, though his mind didn't know any of that, his body did, pushing him to rest his head on hers. He, for some reason, had a feeling she liked that, and he must have been right, since the tension in her shoulders dissipated nearly instantaneously.

"The others promise they'll do that stuff, too," she mumbled, squeezing a bit tighter onto him like he was her only little ray of light, "but they're liars. But with you...it's different, isn't it?"

"Well...yeah. I just want you...to smile again. Like you did back then. O-Oh, but I'm not telling you what to do! I just - "

"As long as you stick to your promise, I'll smile as much as you want."

She heard the blonde gasp again, unsurprised to find that he hugged her a bit tighter. The (h/c) haired girl had never met someone like him. She had only trusted one person quicker than him. Maybe that was what gave her relief. Surely, if she felt like she could lean on Akari, he would be strong enough to support her; that her intuition wasn't wrong. After squeezing him a bit tighter, she released him, noting his visible confusion.

"I-I...," he flustered, "I'll go...get something to eat."

"I'll come with."

Akari's bewilderment only became more prevalent, but, all the same, he felt somewhat relieved again. Of course, there was something weird about having her smile at him alone, but...it sure was nice. He had never thought to earn a smile for himself. His heart raced as the revelation came to him, the blonde shyly covering his grin with his hand. Embarrassment wasn't an emotion he often felt. He didn't know it could feel so good.