"YOUR HAIR WAS NOT QUITE THE BLAZING MEDALLION GOLD OF THE SUN .. BUT IT WAS BRIGHT ENOUGH TO PLUNGE ITS HAND INTO THE DARKNESS AND BECOME A WISP OF RETRIBUTION TO THOSE WHO GRABBED YOUR SALVATORY HAND."

Those who followed behind him, becoming the ones who stood on the arising horizon, for as long as his shadow was forever casted prideful and tall, as would they.

But the invincible Mikey was still a human. Humans in which were corrupt in every way just for their mere existence alone. Breathing, living. For every birth, there is death in that very moment, somewhere, someone, lost.

And for every death there was life. But even life would soon sink to its ashes.

"You look bored these days .. Kazutora. Is bashing other gangs and thrashing around with Baji not enough? Heard you butted heads with Mitsuya the other day, but he's a pacifist so it seems about right."

She took a seat by the boy on the picnic table, sliding him a can of soda. He only remained staring down at where the rest of the boys were skipping rocks down in the water, not replying to her but cracking open the can.

He seemed to pause, intertwined in a deep mountain of thought before sipping his drink, almost as if he wasn't breathing or needed to breathe, the boy continued to chug down the carbonated drink that scratched at the flesh of his throat and his lungs pulsating for oxygen to refresh itself.

"I think .. I think I've decided what to get Mikey for his birthday." Anari continued to ramble to the ravenette beside her. Kazutora had been awfully less talkative and more interested in bashing people's faces in ever since his parents officially got their divorce. Kazutora was forced to pick between his mom and his dad, for he was still a minor.

And he chose the mother's touch that lured him in.

But he swallowed the hook as it lodged itself in his throat along with the rest of his words and cries as his mother berated him. With every configurations of her hate filled words filled to the brim of violence, it was no different from his father who spoke little words to him, and instead did so with his fists.

He had been running away for some time now. The last time he'd gone home was two weeks ago, but his mother had enough intellect left to know not to call the cops before they found traces of the previous violence and abuse. And so, she let him be as he took shelter at Mikey's place, where the boy offered his arm.

"You're so loved." Kazutora finally spoke. "Cared for by everyone. Cherished. Always. By the people in your school, they protect you because you protect them from their parents. By Draken .. By Mikey."

Suddenly, his medallion orbs didn't seem so golden anymore .. but rather a tarnished shade of green on envy. His pupils slit themselves like a snake bearing its fangs with a warning.

He never had warm families singing him happy birthday at a table with a messy home made cake.

He never had a family.

"Aren't you lucky? People like you that have family who care for them .."

She'd shoulder the responsibility of the deteriorating haunting mind of the lion bore on his shoulder, the ink that marked his skin. Anari wouldn't pat his head and tell him it was all her fault that he didn't have a family.

After all, the world was as cruel as it was unfair.

And she had no choice in the matter.

But Kazutora was tormented. If god loved everyone, why was he so unhappy? Why was he always spouted profanities at about not being loved?

Only one answer came to mind for him. God loved everyone but him. He was the black sheep, the odd one singled out.

But he didn't want to be alone. He wanted to be as loved as everyone else. His strength was slowly burning out. Coping mechanisms only added on, dissolving in the acidic fuel of his heart that was on a retribution of fire.

"Aren't you being a little too selfish? Being selfish is fine, but who said you get to pick who loves you and who doesn't? You're right, Kazu. I'm lucky to have Draken. I'm lucky to have a father in jail and a mother who disappeared. I'm also lucky to be able to have enough of a capacity to love in my heart to love you and everyone else in Toman."

"Aren't you just as lucky?" A lifetime of trauma ricocheted in his brain leaking out obsidian embers that were burnt ash. "Be jealous of me, be jealous of other people, be greedy, be hungry, as long as it selfishly keeps you by our side longer, then so be it. Because somewhere deep down .. we think the same things."

Anari bent downward just for a moment as Kazutora closed his eyes, awaiting the impact, but all that was felt was a gust of air to his forehead. Confused, he opened his eyes, only to meet Anari a mere few inches away from his face, eyes wide, he jumped backward, but she flicked his forehead first.

"If I'm the shadow of Toman, you're never alone. Behind you, I'll always be there." A smile graced her features before she waved at him, "c'mon down with me!"

".. Stop looking at me like that!" Anari slapped the water and it splashed onto the face of the blonde boy who deadpanned straight at her face despite the trickling droplets. In the spite of the moment, Baji tried to jump Mikey, in a failed attempt as Mikey single handedly swept his feet even in the water and sent him head first.

"..." Mikey still muttered no words, he merely examined her, side to side, even sniffing her neck, in which she replied by shoving him into the water along with Baji who was just about to stand up, only to get knocked back down over again.

Anari, as fast as she could, waist deep in the shivering cold water, made her way to Draken where the water barely effected him. It didn't take long for the two of them to make up. Draken apologized for his assumptions, and Anari did the same for lashing out. They used to argue multiple times in the past. Apologizing was past their pride and more touched into their roots of cousins by choice.

The pinkette turned around to see Kazutora now having a pantsing competition with Baji who'd manage to get back up to his feet. Thankfully, he had a little glow in his eyes again. "Are none of you guys cold? The water is freezing." Anari shivered, her teeth chattering intentionally.

Draken dipped his hand in the water and shook his head. "Maybe if you weren't so short, then you wouldn't have gotten so soaked and so cold." The taller male shrugged, but Anari's mouth was left agape in protest as she pointed over to nowhere toward Mikey to say-- "but Mikey's shorter than me!"

"Where?"

Anari turned her head where her finger was pointing, only to find an empty spot. Mikey was gone.

Draken took a few steps backward, tripping into Pah's behind as two splashes rung out simultaneously. One was, of course Draken, but surprisingly, he made the smaller splashes of the two.

The bigger one came from the gasp of Anari, and the ear to ear grin from Mikey as he wrapped his arms from behind, soaking her dry clothes, falling backward, the two of them created an impact loud enough to draw the attention of the Toman members.

"There! Now you don't smell like Kazutora anymore."

If she had a word to describe how she felt. It'd be an animosity. One of which would be toward herself, and the second being the fact that she felt the tinge of a skipping heartbeat for the toothy grin.

Anari wasn't an idiot enough to ignore this feeling that weighed on her body. She had read more than enough books, some of which she dreamed of a happily ever after of her and Mikey.

But she didn't want to drag him into the trenches of her horrid mind.

"Achoo!"

The honking sound of a certain girl blowing into a tissue had sounded out, following a sigh. Shinichiro ran his fingers through his hair, staring down at Mikey who looked at the ground and then to Anari. Draken clicked his tongue, pinching Anari's nose, preventing the snot from dripping out as she wiped it.

"Niichiro it's not his fault, I played a bit in the water without bringing any clothes or a towel."

Anari was always born with a weaker immune system. Her mother, while she was still in the womb tampered with dangerous substances and drank alcohol quite a bit during her pregnancy. However in general, Anari was born underweight due to the lack of money she and her brother had after one parent went to jail and the other eloped, they were forced to cut down on money spent on food.

Shinichiro was always the one to take her to the hospital.

There was a cold front that day, so as Anari got out of the water, the wind and air caused her to shiver down to the bone and one thing led to another and she had caught a cold.

"Don't make excuses for me, Rin." Mikey knew where his boundaries of being childish stood, and this was his responsibility as the leader of Toman. It was an accident— they had all known that much, but Shinichiro knew his younger brother was capable of at least being a little bit more careful of her well being.

Emma came into the room with a bowl of water and a rag as she led Anari to the bed Shinichiro had set up in S.S Motors for whenever he pulled all nighters. "I cant take an off day from work tomorrow, big project, i'll keep an eye on Anari here and take care of her for the night since I don't want gramps sick either. You all head home, no more stops for tonight."

"If it was my fault let me take care of her." Mikey volunteered. But Shinichiro only shook his head. "You kids are still weak, I can't let you all catch her cold." He ruffled their heads one last time.

Draken had learned his lesson after listening to the lecture and slipped off his knit cardigan, placing it over Emma's shoulders as the two left the shop to start the bikes while Mikey stared at his brother.

"Fine. You can take her for tonight." Mikey pouted but before Shinichiro could say anything, the blonde ducked under his elder brother's arm and hopped onto Anari's bed, planting a kiss onto her hand. "Kazutora has to remember I marked my spot."

She blinked once, and then twice, and he was gone like thin air, only the sound of two bikes racing in the distance echoes throughout the streets.

Bidding her a good night, Shinichiro was steps away from leaving the room until Anari, who was bundled up in double layers of blankets had called out his name. "Niichiro."

"Hm?"

"Mikey's birthday is coming up .. Everyone has an idea on what to get him but .. I'm still a little stuck. Emma said she's going to make him a special breakfast and cake, Draken said he got them tickets to a racing show, Baji and Kazutora said they had the best surprise ever .. I don't know what to get him .. Well I do! But you know .. I don't know if it's suitable."

She felt embarrassed that she was panicking this much over a gift.

Shinichiro laughed. "You always manage to get the most meaningful gifts of everyone. It doesn't have to be over the top. For Mikey — He'd love anything you'd get him. Get some rest kid. I'll show you my present tomorrow."

"Good night .. Niichiro."

That would be the last time Shinichiro would tuck her into bed, and the last time she'd feel his touch until it fell cold.