It was about six o'clock when Aoi and Uruha were having a dinner in a very expensive and classy restaurant. Earlier they had spent their time by the sea, looking at the sky and ocean seeming to melt into each other.

Right now they had almost finished their food when Aoi took a small object out of his pocket and said in a slightly nervous tone: "Uruha... There's something I need to-" but he was immediately interrupted as Uruha smiled apologetically and answered his cellphone. Aoi was obviously very disappointed, pissed off, even, but Uruha ignored it and answered Reita.

"Uru... I understand you probably have something to do with Aoi, but you gotta come over." Reita's voice was dead-serious and Uruha got worried immediately - he had no idea what could make his childhood-friend this serious. "What is it?"

"It's Kai. Something... happened. It's a bit hard to explain, you need to see it on your own eyes", Reita explained in a quiet, slightly muffled voice, as if he was holding back tears. Since Uruha had never seen Reita cry before, he obviously got shocked and promised he'd be on his way.

"Is something wrong?" Aoi asked worriedly.

"Yeah, something has happened to Kai. I think it's about his ex... Sorry, I really need to go", Uruha apologized, being truly sorry. Aoi stood up too, telling Uruha to wait in the car while he would pay for their food. Uruha nodded and left quickly. As soon as he stepped inside the car - Aoi had given him they key - he felt tears forming in his eyes. He leaned back in his seat and covered his lips with his hand.

It was all his fault. He hadn't been there with Kai as he had promised. If he had been there, nothing would've had happened. But he broke his promise... He left Kai all alone, it was his fault that something bad happened to his brunette friend. I'm such a horrible person...

Aoi drove quickly, so they were soon at Reita and Ruki's shared apartment. Worried sick, Uruha rang the doorbell. He was shaking, no matter how much Aoi tried comforting him. The door opened, revealing Reita who was just as pale and worried. He let them in, but before doing so said: "Don't do anything reckless, okay? He's... He's not himself at the moment." And true, Kai was not himself.

He was sitting on the couch in Ruki's arms, not saying anything. Ruki's arms were tightly wrapped around him and he was Kai's back soothingly and whispering comforting words. Kai himself was not moving at all, if you don't count the shivers that ran by his spine every time he heard a noise or saw something in the corner of his eye. He was very pale, paler than Uruha, and his eyes were blank and full of fear. Most of the bruises on his body were covered by Reita's dark clothes that were too big for him, and that didn't warm him at all despite their amount and the fire that had been set to the fireplace in front of them.

"K- Kai?" Uruha whispered, not stepping any closer. The brunette didn't even notice him, and the shorter male ignored him completely. Reita's voice was quieter and lower than usual when he spoke: "He doesn't talk to anyone else, and even when he talks to Ruki, he's so quiet I can't hear... He only lets Ruki touch him and ignores everything else - actually I think he doesn't even notice anyone else. He won't let go of Ruki at all, he goes everywhere with him - even to the bathroom. He once fell asleep and Ruki told me he says he's cold all the time and that he's scared... Neither of us knows what really happened, but it's easy to guess."

"Oh my God... Kai..." With shaky legs Uruha walked into the living room and sat on the couch. Kai only winced a little as Uruha's weigh was added next to him, but didn't react in any other way.

"Kai, it's me, Uruha", the honey-blonde tried, not getting any response. Ruki sent him an apologetic look, saying: 'It's no use.' Uruha was in verge of tears again, and he just wanted to wrap his arms around Kai and cry on him - but he knew he couldn't do that.

"Why would someone do this to him...?" Aoi whispered. During the time Kai had stayed with them, he and the brunette had grown rather close on those mornings when Aoi left to work and Uruha was still asleep, and those nights when Aoi came home late and Uruha had already gone to bed. He really liked Kai, and thought of him like a brother. Seeing him in this state was absolutely terrible.

"Has anyone told you about his ex?" Reita asked quietly. The two forgot about their hatred towards each other for a while, so even though they weren't even close to being friends, they managed to exchange words.

"Reita asked if you wanna stay over night", Aoi said softly, sitting next to Uruha who was so shocked he hadn't moved at all. Uruha nodded a little and moved closer to Aoi, who pulled him into a comforting embrace.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine", Aoi muttered, but Uruha only pressed closer to him and his shoulders were shaking due all the sobs that escaped his pale lips. But as soon as Aoi's voice was heard, Kai's blank gaze turned to him. For a couple of seconds, world seemed like it was frozen. Aoi and Kai stared into each other's eyes, one's dark and worried, one's blank and paranoid. The others - Reita, Ruki and Uruha - couldn't take their eyes off them.

"Aoi", Kai said in a voice that could barely be heard. Aoi was too shocked to do anything, but when Ruki motioned him to come closer to him and Kai, he let go of Uruha and sat close to them. Uruha stood up and in complete shock, stumbled next to Reita who was standing just a couple of meters away.

"Aoi... Why aren't you at work?" Kai was speaking so quietly only Ruki and Aoi could hear him. Ruki loosened his hold on the brunette a little, and the latter shuffled closer to the raven.

"I have a day off." Aoi managed to form a soft, caring smile on his lips.

"Why are you here?" Kai asked innocently. Biting his lip before speaking, Aoi answered: "I wanted to come see how you were doing."

And so Aoi was added to the quiet, secret conversation. No one really knew why Kai had recognized him, but he was just as glued to him as he was to Ruki. After a while Reita decided they needed something to eat, so he announced he and Uruha would go out to buy groceries. Aoi wanted to come with them because he was just so protective of Uruha, but Kai wouldn't let go of him and without using any words, Ruki begged him not to leave for Kai's sake.

As soon as Reita and Uruha got out of the apartment, the latter burst into tears and threw himself on Reita.

"It's my fault! I wasn't there with him!" he cried, his eyes squeezed close and his arms tightly wrapped around his childhood-friend. Reita brought his arms around Uruha too, pulled him closer and whispered into his ear: "It isn't your fault, Uru... If you were there, he would've just knocked you out and continued with Kai... It could be just better if you weren't there."

"I could've protected him! I COULD'VE AT LEAST TRIED!" Uruha screamed, not caring about the fact they were just outside Reita and Ruki's flat and everyone - including the neighbours - could hear him.

"Shh... Let's just go get the groceries, 'kay?" Reita mumbled. Uruha continued crying for a minute or so in his blonde friend's arms, and then they left. Meanwhile Kai had again fallen asleep, and Aoi rose from the couch, saying he was thirsty and needed a drink.

"What's that?" Ruki asked curiously as he saw a rather small box accidentally dropping from Aoi's pocket. The latter was going to pick it up, but Ruki did so before him and opened the black box with velvet-covering. He gasped as he saw the beautiful silver ring inside it. It had gorgeous carvings in it, and it had a small, simple diamond on it. Ruki was sure he even caught a glimpse of some text on the ring's other side, which would be covered by the owner's finger. Before he could study it closer, Aoi snatched it away and turned his back to Ruki, not wanting to show his face which was terrified, embarrassed and very sad.

"You... You were going to propose to him..." Ruki whispered in shock.

"I was about to when Reita called... And now that I think of it, I don't think Uruha would even accept it. I could just as well throw the whole ring to the garbage", Aoi answered, starting to shake violently as he held back the tears he had carried ever since Reita reappeared.

"Aoi..." Ruki muttered. He rose from the couch too, and placed his hand on the older man's shoulder. "He loves you, how could he not accept it?"

"Because he loves Reita! I just replaced Reita for a while, now that he's back, I'm not needed anymore!" Aoi explained angrily and covered his face. No one was never going to see him cry again... No one...

"Are you an idiot?! Uruha loves Reita as a friend, maybe as a brother, but he loves you as a boyfriend - a future husband, even! So when he comes back, you're gonna get on your knee and give him that ing ring!" Ruki yelled without any hesitation in his voice. He calmed a little and sighed before continuing: "He either accepts it or not. If he does, you'll live with him happily ever after. If he doesn't you can at least be proud of yourself for trying like a ing man!"

Aoi could only stare at the shorter male. He had no idea Ruki ever cared, and he hadn't looked at thing from this side. Maybe Ruki was right. Maybe he really should do it when Uruha came back. If he doesn't accept it, I'll at least know how he really feels about me and I can be proud I made it this far, Aoi thought. He relaxed his stiff shoulders a bit and said: "You're right. I'm gonna do it."

Kai had woken up from all the yelling and gazed at the two men he so adored, curiosity clearly seen in his innocent eyes. Aoi noticed the stare, smiled and Kai and kneeled in front of him. "Kai. What do you think? Am I going to succeed?"

Kai didn't say anything, but hugged Aoi warmly, his arms wrapped tightly around the raven's torso. Aoi chuckled, hugged Kai back and muttered: "I take that as a yes..."

And so, when Reita and Uruha came back, Aoi didn't even bother to look at them and notice they were holding hands. He just kneeled right in front of Uruha and opened the box in front of him. He had no time to ask his honey-blonde lover the most important question of his life as he finally came to notice how the hands of the people in front of him were intertwined. Shock was written all over Uruha's face, the same with Reita.

Reita and Uruha were really close - too close to Aoi's liking. Not like friends. Not like brothers. The oldest male didn't even open his mouth once. He stood up, trying to hide his anger and marched quickly to the guest bedroom, ignoring the desperate calls of his name that passed Uruha's lips. He closed the door behind him and sat on the edge of the bed that was the furthest way from it.

He was shaking, his breath was nothing but steady. He was staring at the ring he had bought with the money he had earned with the hard work he had done way too much, way more than he should've. He remembered when he bought it. He remembered how brightly he had smiled when he got it made. He remembered how he had waited for the right moment to take it out of his pocket and ask for Uruha to accept it... But now, it was so very different. Now he felt sudden hate towards that small object that was supposed to bound him and Uruha together. He wanted to throw it out of the window. He wanted to throw it into the depths of the ocean - he would've done anything just to get rid of it.

Heavy tears splashed on the ring, making it moist and even shinier it had been before. He covered his face with the hand that wasn't holding the box, and cried. He felt pathetic. He didn't know what he had been thinking when he was about to propose to Uruha. Uruha loved Reita, not him! Aoi had been just a way to replace Reita for a few silly years.

When the door opened behind him, he had no idea who came in and he snapped in a muffled, yet angry, voice: "Go away."

But that said person didn't do as he was told to. He closed the door behind him and sat next to Aoi, very close to him. As soon as this happened, Aoi realized it wasn't Uruha. This one had smaller, more fragile body that seemed to weigh nothing - he mattress barely moved when he had sat down. With teary, red eyes Aoi's vision was blurry, but he could still clearly see the person next to him was Kai.

"Sorry. I didn't know it was you", Aoi muttered. With Kai, he felt like he didn't need to hide his tears, so he openly sobbed and let the salty water flow on his cheeks. A couple of hands were placed on those cheeks, making Aoi look into Kai's eyes. He was a bit confused. Kai's eyes didn't have a blank, dead stare in them. They had life, they had a glimpse of emotions. Those emotions were pity, sorrow and something else Aoi couldn't make out.

"Don't cry", Kai whispered. His voice was still very weak, still sore and damaged because of the screaming from the earlier part of the day.

"You don't know what it's like", Aoi answered in a voice that was just as quiet as Kai's whisper. The latter's eyes seemed now really hurt, and he pulled Aoi in for an embrace that warmed the raven immediately.

It took a long time until Kai pulled away, and at that time, Aoi's tears had completely dried. Kai looked at the ring in Aoi's still shaky hands curiously. The raven smiled softly and handed the box over, saying: "You can take a closer look, if you want."

Kai took the box, and the ring out of it. He thought it was beautiful, he didn't understand why Aoi would want to throw it away. He brought it closer to his eyes to see it better. After a while of studying it, he commented simply: "It's pretty."

"It is, isn't it...? It was meant to describe..." Aoi started, but then realized Kai probably had no idea who he was talking about, so he left it there, and luckily the brunette didn't comment on that.

"It's really pretty", Kai repeated. He liked it a lot, how it reflected the light and shone beautifully. Chucking, Aoi answered: "You can keep it, if you want. I have no need for it anymore."

Kai turned his gaze to Aoi, questioning him. Aoi didn't answer to any questions, just had a faint smile on his lips and stared at his hands. Kai looked at the ring and then put it in his finger. Left ring finger. When Aoi saw this, he said nervously: "U- Uh, Kai... You don't have to wear it t- there..."

"Why not?" Kai asked innocently, absolutely oblivious, as if he hadn't even noticed which finger he put the ring in. Aoi took Kai's hand and removed the ring, then put it around Kai's index finger. The latter brought the hand up close to his eyes and continued gazing at the ring. "Aoi, why are you so sad? Don't you like the ring?"

"It's not the ring that I'm sad about", Aoi replied quietly.

"Then what?" Kai shuffled closer and took a hold of Aoi's hand. The touch of the younger male was warm, and it made Aoi feel better. Maybe, even after what happened, Kai still hadn't lost his motherly nature.

"It's just the person the ring was supposed to belong to", Aoi muttered. He was about to start crying again, but Kai wiped the tears away and wrapped his arms around Aoi again, letting his head rest on the raven's chest. Aoi placed his chin on Kai's slightly ruffled hair and hugged him back, pulling him close.

Meanwhile Uruha was hugging his knees while he sat on the couch. Both Reita and Uruha were trying to comfort him, but he couldn't stop crying. He couldn't get up and go talk to Aoi, he was too shocked and he was afraid he would ruin everything. He loved Reita too much to accept the ring, but he loved Aoi too much to not accept it. His whole head was a mess and he wanted this all to end.

"If it bothers you so much, just go talk to him", Ruki suggested, Uruha's hair soothingly. Nowdays he was nothing like the cowardly bully he had been during their schooltimes.

"I- I can't... I'll ruin everything..." Uruha sobbed.

"The situation won't get fixed by itself. You either take the ring or apologize to him and leave it there. It's your choise", Reita pointed out quietly.

"I can't do neither of those!" Uruha answered. Both of them would be just way too cruel. He wiped some tears away from his cheeks and whispered: "Why can't I just not to anything and we'll forget the whole thing...?"

"He'll never forget it Uru, and you won't either. Just go talk to him and do whatever your heart tells you to", Reita mumbled. He hugged Uruha warmly before pushing him gently away. The honey-blonde nodded a little and walked shakily to open the door to the bedroom.

"A- Aoi..." he stuttered when he stepped in. "We need to talk."

"We don't have to talk", Aoi replied quietly. He stood up and without Uruha noticing, took the ring back from Kai. He smiled softly - and very sadly - at Uruha and said: "I should've known not to buy this thing."

"No, Aoi, don't say that! I love you!" Uruha wrapped his arms around Aoi, but the latter didn't response in any way.

"A- Aoi, please... I'll take it!" Uruha took Aoi's hand and the ring from it, but Aoi quickly snatched it away from him and shook his head, saying: "You can tell yourself you love me, but that's not the truth. I was just a way to replace Reita for a while. I don't have to be here anymore."

"That's not true!" Uruha cried. Aoi his cheek and muttered: "I love you, Uru, I really do. That's why I want you to be happy, even if it meant leaving you to Reita."

"N- No", Uruha whispered. Reita walked in after hearing Uruha cry, and asked what was going on. For the first time, Aoi smiled at Reita. He walked to him, gave him the ring and before exiting the room muttered so quietly only the blonde could hear him: "Use it wisely. I know you'll need it."

And with that, he was gone, he went out of the whole apartment. Kai, who had been watching silently until now, quickly rose from the bed and followed Aoi. He took both his - or actually Reita's - and Aoi's jacket with him before leaving in hurry.

Uruha could only stare at Reita with teary, shocked eyes and whisper: "He left."

"I'll go after him", Reita decided and was about to go when Uruha hugged him from behind and begged: "Please don't leave, Rei! Don't leave me!"

Ruki walked in before Reita could respond and asked: "What the hell happened?!"

While Reita started explaining, Aoi was already walking past the building. It was snowing and he was freezing as he only wore a thin shirt and jeans. He wasn't crying, like someone would've expected him to. He was just walking without any destination, trying to get things out of his head. He startled and jumped a little when he felt light a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Kai, wearing Reita's jacket and Ruki's scarf. He was holding Aoi's jacket too, and helped him to put it on.

"You shouldn't be here", Aoi muttered when they started walking again. Kai didn't say anything. He just moved closer to Aoi to keep him warm and even took Aoi's hand in his own.

"Ruki will get worried of you", the older male pointed out quietly, but failed to convince Kai to return. They continued wandering in the deserted, cold streets silently, just seeing cars passing by and sometimes rarely people walking from work in hurry, trying to get quickly from the cold rain of snow.

It had been a long time since they left and Aoi's bare fingers started feeling numb when they heard a low voice behind them saying: "The others are really worried, y'know."

Turning around, Aoi saw Reita just a few meters away from them. Kai turned around too, but ignored Reita and took a hold of Aoi's whole arm, hugging it tightly.

"Uruha's really worried of you, he's been crying ever since you left. Why did you even leave?" Reita asked calmly. Aoi quietly told Kai to let go, and the latter did what he was asked to. Aoi walked slightly closer to Reita and explained: "He'll be happier with you. He's better without me."

"You know, it wasn't a long time ago when you beat me and said he'd be better without me", Reita pointed out, starting to get frustrated.

"Well I was wrong", Aoi said. Reita was now beginning to get really angry when he yelled: "He loves you! How could you just leave him like that?!"

"I could ask the same thing from you!" Aoi replied angrily. His voice was a bit calmer when he continued: "But I'm not asking, because I know Uruha loves you and I want him to stay with you if that's what makes him happy."

"YOU IDIOT!"

Aoi could just glare at Reita in shock and hold his cheek that had just been hit painfully and very hard. Reita was breathing heavily and he was furious when he hissed: "You... are an idiot, Aoi. And I ing hate you. I'm trying to get along with you for Uru's sake, and for his sake I'd ing date you if that was needed! And I'm really thankful to you too, because you saved his life, and I don't know how to thank you for it. But if you don't do anything at all for his sake and leave him just like that because you think he'd be happier with you, then you!"

Aoi was frozen solid, he was utterly shocked. His cheek still stung painfully, but it didn't compare to his emotional pain Reita's harsh words had caused. He could hear Kai sobbing behind him, but he ignored it, just like Reita did. A cold breeze of wind blew past them, causing Aoi shiver. For a while, no one said anything. Then Aoi lowered his gaze, muttered "Whatever, man" and walked away.

He was crossing the road when he heard sudden noise right beside him; something rumbling, like thunder. His eyes widened in fear as he saw a huge truck coming towards him with the fastest speed, the driver obviously not noticing him. It all happened quickly, but he felt like it took a long time for the pain to come. He felt a pair of strong arms wrap around him before a massive pain struck him and for a second, he saw only white. Then it all went black and he felt and heard nothing aside from a familiar voice calling his name.

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Oooookay, people, that's it for this chapter! I know, it ended in a very angsty cliffhanger and all, but I assure you, Aoi isn't gonna die. And the character who attempted saving him was not an OC or anyone who hasn't been introduced yet in this fic, so yeah...

It's kinda weird how I planned this fic to be pretty long (like over 20 chapters or so) but it's actually nearing the end and I've planned pretty much everything that's gonna happen in the last few chapters. And let's just say it's not gonna be anything happy and dandy (But don't worry, there won't be any character deaths ^^) I hope you don't hate me too much for this

Oh, and by the way, have you guys already seen the INSIDE BEAST preview? I went straight to the Gazetto's OTP at the exact time it was released and... I cracked XD The video was really awesome, but Ruki... Well, if you saw it you understand what I'm talking about ;)

And with that, I'll see you in da next chapter!