Although he attempted, Kazuki was hardly able to fall asleep. It felt as if he was not only betraying one brother but two. He had already known he did something cruel to Rei, expecting to be confronted sooner or later by the blonde after he realized he'd betrayed him. Then there was Ichiro. The older male hadn't intended on doing something so intrusive to him, but he simply couldn't stay away. If it weren't for his unsuccessful yet focused attempts to give his younger brother what he wanted, then fate certainly wasn't on his side.

The blonde tossed and turned in his bed as he pictured the numerous ways he would be left behind by his family. His mother had already rejected him, and he was certain Rei would kill him for even trying to steal away his beloved. If that were the case, his father would certainly be on the fence about trusting him, and he would have toppled over onto the younger male's side if Kazuki followed after his heart's desires. Ichiro was so close to never returning to greet him home with a hug. It all threatened to come crashing down.

Kazuki had no choice but to retreat into his safe haven. The past was not mutually exclusive to joyful events, filled with more than its fair share of tragedy and pain. However, it held the one person he had loved more than anyone else, and it was the only way he could have seen her again even if it was just a fantasy. The blonde desired something besides pure freezing cold nothingness, only left with one resort to turn to.

. . .

The dirty blonde-haired beauty was weeping uncontrollably at the news of her boyfriend's disappearance. The police had no clues, there were no witnesses, and no evidence. It was all in a day's work for Kazuki, but he couldn't have felt any pity for the male he killed. He was in the way, and he needed him out of the way. It was just unfortunate timing, that was all. In another life, he would have lived.

"Take as much time as you need," the male said; a lie.

Moriko cried so hard she was practically choking on her tears, turning to Kazuki for comfort. He stroked her hair delicately, remiss in the touch of it as if it was precious silk. His cheeks were pink as her head was buried in his neck, allowing him to feel the water she shed. Truth be told, he found it difficult to comfort her when she was so attached to another person; one that was long since gone. He just wanted her to get over it and turn her sights elsewhere, mainly to himself.

Yet she kept crying, weeping, sobbing all in one, mourning the loss of such an average person. Frankly, it infuriated the blonde to no avail. She was practically blind, ignoring the presence of a doting male that would do anything for her. He could give her anything she desired, even be able to make her a queen. Still, she mourned for a fool that couldn't take one bullet for her.

Frustrated, the male gripped the back of the dirty blonde's hair and tugged it almost aggressively, pulling her towards him. He captured her lips as he narrowed his eyes, watching as she reacted. Whether it was good or bad, he couldn't say until she reciprocated the affection, and she did. It was not nearly as quickly as he would have liked, but his features softened as she provided the affection he sought for so long. Yet as quickly as it came, it faded all too soon. She pulled back, giving a concerned expression.

"I-I'm sorry," she mumbled shyly, playing with the hem of her skirt, "but it's way too soon. Right after Kirigaya went missing...it just is so insensitive. I couldn't do that to him. He could come back any time. Maybe this is all a misunderstanding."

"Does it matter?" the blonde asked suddenly, his features contorting again into one of frustration.

"W-What?"

"Even if he does come back, who do you like more?  Me...or him?"

The girl froze for what seemed numerous lifetimes, attempting to both figure out the situation and her feelings on it all in one. However, the blonde would not let her think. He preferred to let his heart do the talking, wanting her to do the same. However, he knew that thinking would have resulted in the same answer. If she wanted to know who could have given her more, it would have been him a hundred times out of ten.

"I'm sorry, Zuki, but we've been together for two years now. I can't just turn my back on that because he's missing for a few days."

"He'll be missing for the rest of your life," the blonde blurted out, overcome with his own fear, guilt, and anger, "I got rid of him. He's dead. So no more beating around the bush. Go out with me."

. . .

(Y/n) woke up earlier than she had anticipated, strolling about the penthouse with a curious mind as she usually did. Chariot had been hopping along beside her, keeping her company as she explored for the umpteenth time since she'd arrived. Nonetheless, he did not appear bored. Far from it, the little creature was squeaking joyfully as he took a walk with the (h/c) haired girl as if giving his opinions on each room to her.

For some reason, in particular, her curiosity wasn't sated. She had known everything there was to about every room aside from the two males' bedrooms. However, she wanted to know about them. Ichiro had shared everything there was to, openly giving his secrets away with a blush on his features. He just couldn't say "no" to her, opting for saying "yes" every single time. Even when it was about something else, he was always there to help.

Thus, she figured, since Kazuki wasn't speaking, it would be helpful to ask the bluenette about the mysterious and evasive blonde. He must have known numerous things that she could have never imagined, prompting her to seek him out. The girl peeked into his room, finding he was sitting on his bed in a creative haze, sketching away new ideas for outfits and compilations that worked well together. However, as he saw her inch into the doorway, he stopped what he was doing and gave a bright smile.

"Good morning, dove," he greeted, motioning for her to come in, "Did you miss me? I'd be happy to cuddle you to make you feel better."

"Ah, actually," the girl paused, holding her hand to her face and looking to the side, "I wanted to know about something. Do you think...you could tell me?"

"Of course! If I get something in return..."

The male playfully bounced along the floorboards, jumping over to the younger girl before pulling her down on the bed with him. He pressed his lips to hers, giving a satisfied smile as he played with her hair. Encouraging her to get comfortable, he nibbled on her ear playfully, licking it afterward to apologize for playing with it for his own amusement. Truth be told, it was an activity he'd come to live for.

"I just wanted to know about Zuki's girlfriend."

Ichiro paused, giving an unimpressed look. He hadn't wanted to talk about any other males, especially not his brothers. That being said, refusing her at that point in time would have been going back on his promise, and he'd already taken something in return. Thus, he gave a heavy sigh to show his displeasure at even thinking about her question and hugged her tightly as if his brother would steal her away by just talking about him.

"I told you about her, didn't I? I said she was a golddigger and that she was really mean to Zuki. She practically strung him along and used him until she got bored. Then she cheated on him."

"I know, but he seems to love her a lot more than you think he should. I was wondering why."

"How should I know?" the bluenette scoffed, pressing an angry kiss on the girl's temple, "I hated her guts. She was an idiot but she was a beautiful idiot. Zuki got suckered by a pretty face, and that's all there was to it. Even he would agree. She had no sense of empathy."

The younger girl lowered her head to rest on the male's chest, giving a soft sigh. She was nowhere satisfied by the answer, but she certainly didn't want to force the bluenette to continue explaining something he had no interest in. It would have been cruel, so she simply stopped talking, letting the male have a moment of peace without thinking of someone he clearly despised. She remained there until the bluenette left for work, waiting in the living room for the blonde to take her to his workplace.

. . .

As he strolled downstairs to take her, he was silent. The male simply had no idea what Ichiro would say when he returned, remaining uncertain until they arrived. Again, he had little knowledge of why she would ever want to accompany him, but he would not go back on his word. Ensuring that she was comfortable and had everything she needed, he began to type relentlessly on his keyboard, looking over his schedule for the day.

To his surprise, she did nothing but wait. He had expected her to pull some kind of stunt as she did the time before. Truth be told, he would have enjoyed spending time with her and seeing what kind of things she had in store for him. However, he knew he shouldn't. Doing such a thing would make him ostracized by the family he so adored. It was an all or nothing gamble, and he simply wasn't prepared to risk it for the small chance of having her to himself.

Still, whenever he looked over at the beautiful girl giving him a smile to cheer him up, his heart wouldn't let him ignore her. She called to him whether he wanted it or not, an allure that surpassed logic. It begged him to think with his heart, putting everything on the line to achieve such passion with his counterpart. She was like a siren herself, calling to him and mimicking him in almost every way possible.

No matter how hard he tried to focus on his work, his eyes continued trailing over to her, his heart flaring at the slightest glimpse. His cheeks never faded from their scarlet color, his hands shaking whenever she made the slightest move. It was as if he couldn't stray too far from her without being wholly affected. Strangely, he found that he enjoyed the grasp her aura had on him even when he tried to actively resist it.

It continued the entire day, the male thinking of her in moments he knew he shouldn't. However, when they finally left, his mind began to clear up slightly, her kind words putting him at ease. He lost track of where he was going because of his curiosity about her, the back of his mind doing the piloting of the car for him. Eventually, they arrived at a strange sight. It was a construction area with only a few people and equipment.

"Hm?" the younger girl hummed, tilting her head, "Where are we?"

"O-Oh! I...didn't mean to come here. Sorry, we'll go home!"

The male shuttered, speaking with the utmost of nerves. They were all bundled together, prompting him to act out of his typical character. However, a young man bounded to the car window and gave a joyful wave to the blonde. Curious, the (h/c) haired girl gave a smile and watched the people working. Kazuki, still fascinated with her, did not stop her when she exited the car and began to look around. He only followed after her.

"Do you come here often?" she asked, peeking around the small buildings she saw being built, "What for?"

"It's a charity. I help build sometimes for the homeless, but I've been awfully busy as of late. It's been a while."

The younger girl then gave a delighted smile, one that stirred his heart even further. She peeked around a corner, watching as some people hammered boards together and stirred concrete to create houses. Looking back mischievously, (Y/n) bolted off to join in. She did everything there was to help with. To the blonde's surprise, she began to help carry boards, learned to hammer boards together, even assisted in digging and removing dirt from areas.

"C'mon, Zuki, join me!" she chuckled joyfully, capturing the heart of those around her with her caring and refreshing attitude.

The blonde felt his heart about to explode. He assisted in the work, ignoring the fact that Ichiro would get home before he would, and would be infuriated with him again. The male simply followed his heart; a luxury he missed so very much. His spirit was lifted as he participated in charity and good deeds for those less fortunate, blushing nonstop alongside the younger girl.

She didn't care about what happened to her, putting her all into doing something that had never been asked of her. The younger girl possessed such a compassionate soul that she attracted others. If not for the males she had already "seduced", Kazuki was falling deeper into that rabbit hole. He debated it over and over, wondering about his brothers' reaction to him having deep affection for her, and for as many doubts as he had, he only had one more push to take to fall willingly.

Near the end of the charity organization's work, the younger girl was still shy around the other people. They thanked her for her work, but she simply hid behind the blonde shyly, her face pink in embarrassment. He was once again protecting her, his heart soaring, beating, pounding against his chest, begging him to give in already. Still, his loyalty to his brothers couldn't let him betray them even for such an alluring individual.

And yet, as they went back to his car to return home, the male looked down at the younger girl's dress. It was one he bought for her to wear when she first arrived, covered in dirt, dust, and even sawdust. There were no tears, but it appeared unwearable again, especially for someone of her newly found status. If it were Ichiro or Rei's way, they would dress her in the most stunning and beautiful outfits ever made.

"I must apologize for this," the blonde sighed, "It was unexpected. I'll gladly buy you another outfit. Would you like to go to the mall to replace it?"

"Ah, no, it was fun. I have plenty of other things to wear."

That threw the male off guard. Never had he expected someone would turn down an invitation for him to buy them something. He had always been most useful when providing funds. To charities, family members, lovers, everything. The blonde feared he would have been useless if she didn't need him as a purse. He turned to her again and sucked in a deep breath before laughing nervously.

"I'm sorry. You've refused most everything I've offered you. I tried to give you an allowance, you denied it. I tried to provide you with electronics, you deny them. I even tried to give you food money, yet you were hesitant to accept. I-I find that odd."

"Is it?" (Y/n) asked quietly, holding her fingers to her lips and looking to the side, "I...don't come from a wealthy family. I guess, since we conserved our money, if I don't need anything, I won't deem it necessary to have."

"You don't like materialistic things?" the male asked, his eyes wide.

"I-I definitely think it's very kind of you, don't get me wrong! I just...can't...accept."

The girl had a shy look on her face, blushing hectically and without control. Her face was precious, pure, and beyond tolerable to the male. He didn't have any control over himself at that moment. Something in him stopped him from holding back, and within a split second, he had pinned her to one of the houses, his hands placed on her cheeks. His lips pressed against hers, a needy whimper escaping him as he felt her against him for the first time.

When he pulled away, he felt something in him click, click, click. It moved into place, the gear snapping just where it was supposed to fit, beginning to move round and round. His body warmed up, and for once, he felt anything but cold and wet. It was hot and arid, making him thirst for more and more, his body sweating with the raging fire of passion. It compelled further and further.

He wanted to go to the ends of the earth for the girl in front of him to be his and his alone. Obsession grasped his being and his grip grew tighter. It was as if a siren had reached up to the heavens and pulled a muse down from Olympus to be his own. The beautiful songs it had sung entranced him far too much - teased him far too much - tainting his being from a creature of death to one of longing.

Kazuki wasn't trapped on a land threatening to push him into the freezing water any longer, forced to wear a bird suit to adorn his being, mocked and ridiculed by those above him. He was walking along a cliff to reach the paradise he'd been rejected from. Immortal or not, the siren was threatened by spending the rest of eternity in the darkness beneath him. Should he fall, he would lose everything, but if he reached the end of the suspended and crumbling rock bridge beneath his bare feet, paradise would be achieved. How long he'd waited for it.

"Your song went one note too far," he whispered, taking her lips again and sighing in satisfaction, the feeling of love erasing any sign of haunting frigid cold.