A/N: We're nearing the end! :) 3 more chapters left? 4? 5?  I can't tell at this point haha~ This chapter isn't as long but prepare yourselves still! 

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"I am," Yuto answered, his face void of all expressions.

Silence fell upon as the three as the couple couldn't find the right words to say. 

Ryosuke's fingers slowly unraveled, eventually releasing Yuto's caller. He took a step back towards and shook his head in disbelief. "Who forced you to do this?" 

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean, there's no way you would initiate all this by yourself."

Yuto struggled to find the right answer. He opened his mouth to speak but hesitated and looked away. Instead, he walked past the couple and towards the door, taking a quick look first to see if anyone was outside.

After confirming that no one was around, he locked the door which surely raised concerns of the other two people in the room but those worries diminished shortly after he gestured for them to follow him into his living room. 

"It began at the retreat," Yuto said, leaning his back against the wall. He dug his hands in his pockets and lowered his head. "After Rio fell asleep, I went to do some investigating on my own. I bumped into Mariya and Rei and managed to eavesdrop for just a bit. I wasn't able to get any valuable information because they caught onto me. Those girls did what they know how to do best and they turned me into their puppet." He sighed, running his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"I can't imagine how you must've felt," Rio asked, concerned about his mental state. "You should've told us- I'm sure we could've figured something out." 

Yuto shook his head. "I don't think any of it could compare to the amount of pain both of you suffered through. Saying something wasn't that easy. I was threatened to break you two up as well. They knew you were my weakness and they weren't afraid to use your life as my bait." He crouched down and stretched his arms out on his knees. "I'm sorry, I don't know what's right from wrong anymore." 

Ryosuke patted the latter's shoulders. "No matter what, you're still my childhood friend at the end of the day. I honestly would've done the same if I were you, heck- I don't even know if I would've been able to protect Rio as well as you did..." He paused. "I still trust you, regardless. I know you would never put Rio's life at risk so there must've been a reason why you were so persistent in bringing her back to your place." 

"Their plan was to get me and Chinen to take Amu and Rio to this address tonight," Yuto explained, showing them the location of an abandoned warehouse on his phone.

"Hold on, Yuto! Did you say, "Chinen"?" Rio asked, her hands ready to dial her best friend's number. Instead, she was just as surprised to find out that Amu had already messaged her with the details. "Seems like he just told them everything." 

"But what Chinen didn't know is that they're using you and Amu as bait for Ryo and Dai-chan." 

"Wait- so let me get this straight- They're using you and Chinen to get to Rio and Amu to get to me and Daiki?" Ryosuke asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"Exactly." 

"Can't they just give us a phone call?!" The older latter exclaimed, throwing his hands up in disbelief. "What era do they think we're in? Meiji?" 

As Ryosuke began to pace around in complete astonishment, Rio put a hand up and blinked her eyes several times- her mind in deep thought.

"They obviously decided to take the longer route, making us suffer along the way- perhaps it's all a part of a revenge plan?" She asked, immediately capturing the attention of the other two. "Ryo, you didn't exactly end on good terms with Mariya back then, right? I'm guessing the same happened between Dai-chan and Rei?" 

Ryosuke dropped his shoulders. "They can't be going after us for something that happened over 10 years ago..." he paused. Though in reality, all three of them knew the real answer. "Yuto, there has to be something Daiki can do to help that doesn't involve the girls being in the crossfire of it all."

"Actually, I had a plan going into it tonight and I think it would work better if you and Dai-chan were in on this..." Yuto began, shifting his attention to the girl in front of him. "...But in order for this to work, we need to bring Rio and Amu in."

"You can't be serious-" Ryosuke began but was quickly cut off by Rio. 

"Can you make an excuse to push it until tomorrow?" She asked. "I think we should wait until we get the note analyzed, just in case things don't quite work out." Rio chuckled nervously.

"I'll do my best- and Ryo, in case I'm not able to convince them about tomorrow, just make sure to keep an eye on Rio." Yuto said, now standing up to help the girl back. 

"I've had my eyes on her for nearly 10 years now- and I'm not planning on taking them off her any time soon."

The latter nodded. "Good, then leave the rest to me. You two should return to the hotel now. You have a big day tomorrow."

"I think you should find an alternative place to stay at for the night as well." Ryosuke noted. "Again, just in case." 

"I'm already planning to." 

After Rio packed all her belongings, she paused just before heading out the door to give Yuto a hug. 

"Thank you, Yuu-chan." She said, using the nickname he gave her. 

Yuto's lips curved into a genuine smile- an emotion he hasn't truly felt for a while now. "Return back safely, both of you. I'll send the group more information in just a bit." 

-- 

Rio and Ryosuke were on their way back in the car when they received Yuto's text.

The two of them sighed at the same time when he noted that he was finally able to convince Mariya and Rei to move their plans until tomorrow with the excuse that Ryosuke wouldn't leave Rio's side at all tonight- and that wasn't a lie either as Ryosuke held her hand the entire ride home. 

Yuto explained everything in their private group text and also noted that he and Chinen will be putting together a more complex plan to send over tomorrow morning. Everyone replied with confirmations- except the AmuDai couple and their absence surely made Ryosuke and Rio nervous. 

As soon as they parked the car, they sped into the hotel suite, preparing themselves for the worst but what they found was the total opposite.

All the lights in the living room were off except one that belonged to a lamp hanging nearby the sofas. On one of the sofas, laid Daiki and Amu cuddled up against each other under a blanket asleep. 

"You couldn't have possibly forgotten to mention that they're together again?" Rio whispered, whacking Ryosuke on his arm. 

"The thought of it slipped my mind." The latter joked, sticking his tongue out. "Besides, it isn't really a heck of a story to tell anyways. Believe me