Two boys trundled along the street, the shorter of the two supporting the other as they slowly walked.

"I can take care of my own," the dark-haired teen ground out as he tried for the fourth time that night to pull away from his companion's hold. He managed to pull away from the boy, but he could only take two steps before his knees began to buckle as the pain shot from the wound on his chest.

"Ungh!" Toru grunted but before his knees could hit the ground, the other boy managed to catch him by grabbing him firmly by the shoulder.

"You thick-headed fool," Yuusuke huffed as he pulled the boy up.

Too pained to curse back at him, Toru let himself be held and even allowed Yuusuke to pull his arm around the boy's shoulders.

"You're wounded. That's what you get for kicking the elevator doors open," Yuusuke chastised.

"You told me to do that!" growled Toru.

"But you did it first before I told you to!" Yuusuke protested.

"Shut up!" the long-haired youth snapped.

Yuusuke sighed before they began continuing on their way home.

It was too late at night to find a taxi at that time and if Toru had not thrown his cellphone in anger when they were trapped in that elevator, he would've called for a ride right now rather than having to tolerate Yuusuke's company longer. He felt stupid for wrecking his phone at that time, especially when Yuusuke told him after he did it that because of where they were, he could not get any service. Usually, he would not be so quick to lash out but somehow, being with Yuusuke, his temper gets the best of him.
The boy always managed to push his buttons with his clever talk, always making him think that he was the biggest idiot in the world. Yuusuke was the same breed as Kazuma - intelligent and smart, quick to critisize, but with Kazuma, Toru could understand his step-brother's attitude towards him since their father had an affair with his mother when Kazuma's mother was still alive.

With Yuusuke, it was different. Toru does not understand the boy and neither does he know why Yuusuke annoys him everytime they meet. He knows that Yuusuke would also nag at Eiji when they were together - about the proper things to say and do - but Toru also knows that Eiji and Yuusuke go back together since they were kids. They have even formed an incomplete band together. He thought it odd that a person like Eiji chose to stick with a nerd like Yuusuke after all that time, so he guessed that something was going on between the two teenagers that was keeping their friendship intact. And Toru saw that bond clearly by the many knowing looks that they give to each other as their own form of silent communication. He suspected that Eiji was keeping some sort of secret that Yuusuke was aware of and it irked him that through all he has gone through with the blond boy, he was still not allowed to share what Eiji and Yuusuke knew.
Grudgingly, he admitted that Yuusuke has his own good qualities. The boy, as he listed before, was intelligent and smart, as what he experienced first-hand when they were trapped in that movie elevator an hour ago. While he was acting short-tempered and childish about being with Yuusuke, alone and in an enclosed space, the boy looked nothing but calm. Even when Toru despaired when he thought that the building was burning, Yuusuke was the one who pulled him out with that risky trick with the broken elevator door and the earphones. If he'd known that Yuusuke would make him do a stunt like that, he doubted that he would go through with it willingly.

"You owe me an pair of earphones," Yuusuke commented as if reading Toru's thoughts.

"Ch! I didn't ask you to do that," Toru protested.

"Why are you complaining about? You're rich! You can afford it," Yuusuke pointed out, "Besides, it got you out, didn't it?"

"Yeah, but you also made my stiches break. I could've fallen with those doors!"

"As if you weren't bleeding enough before," the spectacled boy snorted, "And I caught you, didn't I? Besides, I nearly fell off myself. But you caught me, so we're even."

"Ch," Toru said, looking away from Yuusuke, not seeing the small smile on the boy's youthful face.

Kazuma has run off to escape Cannabis, the beautiful guerilla-trained assassin, and Toru was frantic to bring him back. Whatever Kazuma has said and done to Toru, it could not diminish the fact that the older boy was his only brother in the world. They were born from different mothers but their father's blood flows in their veins.

Eiji was surprised when Toru pleaded to the blond boy to help him to save his brother before admitting that he knew of Eiji's power. There was not much persuasion on Toru's part and before long they were in one of the study room of the Edogawa's, looking at the gun cabinet where one of Toru's father's rifle has gone missing. Eiji did a quick reading but upon handing over the clumsy sketch to Toru, the long-haired boy drew up a blank. He could not comprehend what was drawn on the piece of paper and he hoped Eiji knew. To his dismay, Eiji was as clueless as he was but then the boy ran to the house's telefax and sent a copy of the sketch to a number that Toru was unfamiliar with. When Eiji spoke Yuusuke's name did Toru know for sure that that was how the two boys connect with each other. And he was grateful for that, when within a few minutes, Yuusuke was able to decipher what Eiji has seen in his psychometric reading.

Toru felt like jumping for joy when he and Eiji managed to pinpoint a location where Kazuma has run off to to escape the dangerous killer. Instead of doing so, he grabbed the phone from his friend's hand and called to the person on the other line.
"Kasai!"

"Yeah?" Yuusuke answered, his voice wary. The spectacled-boy figured Toru and Eiji must be up to something important for Eiji to suddenly give him a call asking for his help and although Toru sounded urgent when he said his name, Yuusuke could not help but steel himself for any insults Toru might say to him.

"Thanks."
Even after an hour he put down the phone, Yuusuke was still registering in his mind that Toru Edogawa has thanked him for the first time they have met.

Toru and Yuusuke sat in the seats with the rest of the young crowd waiting for the start of what Kunimitsu called 'the movement'. They were all there trying to persuade Renji to stop the massacre on the important people of the state that has been going on since after the death of Renji's grandfather. No matter how young they all were and inexperienced in the politics of the state, Kunimitsu and his friends have faith in the young man that he would hear them out.

Yuusuke wondered if it was a good idea letting a bunch of unruly people to be gathered in one of the most important places in Japan. Looking at Toru, the long-haired teen was probably thinking of the same thing since the boy was glaring at some of the rowdy ones who looked as if they wanted to vandalise the place. Yuusuke and Toru were the only ones there not closely acquainted with the crowd that came from Eiji's old neighbourhood. And they were probably the only ones that were giving the hall much respect as a place where important state matters were discussed. Yuusuke wondered that if Toru's father, who Toru holds great respect, was not a politician, would the dark-haired boy still feel the same of the hall that they were standing in?

Toru suddenly turned to the brown-haired boy sitting behind him. "If they trash this place, it'll be partly your fault."

"What?" Yuusuke sputtered.

"Hey, you were the one who thought of this," Toru reminded him.

Yuusuke scowled. "I didn't know they would follow through with it."

"You should know that people like Eiji don't back down from anything that needs to be done," Toru said, turning away to look back at the people who were slowly getting restless, "Though you did surprise me that you could even think of something like this."

Yuusuke huffed, while turning to the front to look at Eiji who was standing at the podium with Kunimitsu.

"I think you'll never cease to surprise me, Kasai," Toru murmured. Yuusuke was quiet as he wondered if it was supposed to be an insult but hearing how Toru said it, he guessed that it was as close to a praise that he could get from the taller boy.
He and Toru were different, as different as he and Eiji were. Toru and Eiji were the same kind of people - brash and hot-headed, both liking to deal with problems with their fist rather than their mouth and both so disgustingly popular with the girls and also well-known in the street gangs of their neighbourhood. Even as highschool students, both young boys have the ability to lead a triad and for Toru who had hung out with Ikushima, the man who Cannabis once worked with at Columbia, it was just a step away.
With Eiji, it was easy for Yuusuke to befriend the boy when he first found out about Eiji's powers. But with Toru, it was difficult. Yuusuke could not relate with Toru as he could with Eiji who he has grown up with, but little by little as he and Toru met more often through the situations Eiji got into, Yuusuke got to learn more about Eiji's other bestfriend. At first, all Yuusuke hoped for was tolerance between them but now after all that has happened, each of them began to hold respect to the other without mentioning it. Toru was a young man of strength, honour and bravery and although the long-haired youth still irritates Yuusuke at times, the brown-haired boy felt lucky to have known him. Through Eiji they got to know, trust and respect each other. Nothing was wasted on being the pshychometrer's friend.

That night, Yuusuke, Eiji, Toru, Kunimitsu and Shima gathered at woman inspector's place for a celebratory dinner. Toru, being the culinary expert among them did the cooking while the rest watched the television for the news of what has happened that afternoon at the state hall. The smell of the cooked meal wafted through Shima's apartment, making Yuusuke's mouth water. Other than his good looks, Toru was an exceptional cook, a skill the long-haired boy inherited from his mother. Chalk that up to the boy, Yuusuke thought with grudging admiration. And working behind a cocktail bar at his mother's classy restaurant, Toru certainly knows how to hold his liquor compared to Yuusuke himself as he found out himself when he was close to passing out on Shima's carpet.

Toru had laughed in amusement when earlier on Kunimitsu practically forced the alcohol down Yuusuke's throat (Kunimitsu seeing it as an affront that he was drinking oolong tea during a party), though the dark-haired teen thought that the boy was partly to blame for being so 'nice'. Toru knew that Yuusuke's good-boy looks was a sure target for bullies, having being hanging out with street gangs since even before he met Ikushima-sempai. Hell, Shima also did the same thing to Yuusuke once after one of the boy's and Eiji's band performances.
It was near to one o'clock when Toru decided to leave. Eiji and Kunimitsu were still clowning around, Shima has passed out on the sofa and Yuusuke was still trying to get up despite his intoxicated state. When the brown-haired boy finally managed to pick himself up, he promptly fell down again and if not for grabbing a hold of Toru's jacket, his face would've probably gotten rudely acquainted with the floor he has just lied down on.

"What're trying to do? Break your face in?" Toru grunted, lowering the boy carefully onto the carpeting.

Yuusuke giggled. "Already been done that once."

Toru put his hands on his hips. "What? Break your face in?"

"Uh-huh..." Yuusuke replied, giving Toru a wide grin, "Hurts, too."

"It's supposed to," Toru said, kneeling in front of the boy, "What did you do? Piss Eiji off?"

Yuusuke sighed as he curled into himself. "Nah. Amon. He's baaad."
And, then Yuusuke was snoring softly, his breathing deep and peaceful. Toru gave a breath of exhalation and ran his fingers through his bangs. Amidst his slightly drunken state, he thought to cover Yuusuke with a jacket he found nearby and after he did so, he took another look at the boy and smiled. Yuusuke looked innocent in his sleep, eyelashes surprisingly thick and dark against his baby-clean face and a fist curled underneath his chin making him look younger than Toru when in fact they were of the same age. Giving into his urges, his hand lifted and ruffled the boy's hair before he stood up and turned away.
A few moments later, as he walked home in the cold morning air, he could still feel the tingle on his hand that had touched that soft brown hair.


~~~~

"You. You're beautiful. I like you. You're gonna make me happy, my friend."

Toru went green in the face and when the 190 cm tall man shut the door behind him, only then did he allow himself to outwardly panic.

"Shit! That monster's got a thing for you!" exclaimed Shiyokichi, trying to tug himself out of his restraints. Beside him Tetsuya was still unconcious.

"Shut up!" yelled Toru, also struggling against his bonds, the chains attached to the collar on his neck and wounded around his wrists rattling in his frantic movements, "Oh fuck! I think I'm gonna puke!"
Toru, still feeling the effects of his flu, felt sicker when he remembered how the tall guy leered at him a few moments ago.

It was nearly an hour later when they heard the door to the warehouse creak open. Toru steeled himself for the man's arrival but when he saw who it was that came in instead, he and Shiyokichi breathed a sigh of relief.

"Eiji!"

"Toru! You okay, man?" the blond teen asked as he ran towards his friend. Behind him was Yuusuke who was looking at the tied up trio worriedly, in particular at Tetsuya whose face looked the most beaten up.

"Thank God! How did you find us, Eiji?" Shiyokichi asked as Eiji got busy tugging at the bonds from Toru's hands.

"Someone saw you being brought here," Eiji lied. Toru knew more but he instead demanded, "Who is this guy, Eiji?"

"Amon," Eiji answered lowly. Toru's brows knitted, trying to remember where he have heard the name before when he chanced to glance upon the spectacled boy beside Eiji. Yuusuke's face was a mask of restrained emotion - too grim, that Toru's brain suddenly clicked at what he has been trying to remember.

"Souka."

Amon screamed as the bones to his fingers snapped one by one. The heavy foot lifted to move onto his other hand.

Eiji, Yuusuke, Shiyokichi and Tetsuya stared at the man, flopping helplessly in pain on the floor, both his feet and his hands now broken and useless. Although older and taller, Amon was no match for Toru who has been fighting in the vicious streets since the boy could remember, and a Tae Kwan Do fighter at that. The long-haired youth smiled in satisfaction as he stepped away from the writhing man crying in agony.
"After you've healed, come and search for us again. That'll be when I break /all/ your bones from your body."

After the high from the fight was over, the flu sickness came to him again and Toru felt himself sway. Quickly, he found himself being supported by Eiji and Tetsuya. Before, his conciousness failed him, he glanced at Yuusuke who was at the front waiting for them and gave the boy a weak smile.
"I don't know about you, but I feel good about it."

Beside him, he felt Eiji stiffen and Yuusuke merely looked puzzled. Then, he allowed himself to rest.

"Wahahah!! Man, don't I feel good!" Toru exclaimed to the blond boy lying down in the bed sick and miserable.

"Shut up! It's all your fault that I'm sick!" Eiji snapped before a fit of coughing wracked his thin frame.
"I hate this," sniffed the teen, "I barely have any appetite. Even Shima won't come and visit me."

Toru laughed again, amused at his friend's sorry state.

"You're laughing at me again, you son of a bitch! I'm gonna kill you when I get better!" Eiji growled.

"So you all got the flu, eh?" Toru snickered.

"Yuusuke got off," Eiji huffed disgustedly.
The boy reached out to get some tissues and after he cleared his nose loudly, he flopped back onto the bed and looked at the long-haired boy from the corner of his eyes. Already, Eiji looked as if he wanted nothing more to do than go to sleep but he opened his mouth to speak, "Thanks for what you did for Yuusuke."

"Ch! It's nothin'," Toru said waving the thanks aside.

"I would've killed the bastard myself if Yuusuke didn't make me promise not to," Eiji said, letting his eyes close.

"Killing him? That's harsh," Toru commented to Eiji, surprised.

The sick boy sighed. "Ah, for you maybe."

Toru blinked. "Hm?"

"Like what happened to Mai."

Toru remembered the runaway girl who he has helped from the streets. The girl later killed herself after being raped but instead of going after Mai's rapists, Toru managed to saved the last remaining boy from being killed by the girl's grandfather. Toru would rather have the rapist suffer in his lifetime rather than being given an easy way out by being killed.
The long-haired boy stared at the wall in front of him. "Mai. She killed herself."

"Yuusuke is strong," Eiji mumbled, medication-induced sleep tugging at him slowly.

"Yuusuke?" Toru turned to look at the boy on the bed, confused as to what Eiji was talking about.

"He's a boy. He said he doesn't care about it as a girl would but I can see that it bugs him..."

Toru's eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

"Amon. That bastard. He should be staked after what he did to him..."

"What-?" Suddenly the words clicked. /Mai, she was raped. Was Yuusuke...?/ Toru stared at the already sleeping boy with shock. Yuusuke?

A few minutes later, Toru was walking out of the Eiji's house and upon opening the door, he met Yuusuke who was standing outside about to ring the doorbell.

"Hi," Yuusuke greeted, "Going back?"

Toru looked at the brown-haired boy for a moment before he nodded slowly, "Aa. Eiji's asleep."

"Oh. Then, I'll just take a look at him and drop these off," Yuusuke said, showing the plastic bag of oranges to the long-haired boy.

"Yeah," Toru said.
The two boys stood at the door, both waiting for the other to speak or move. Finally, feeling foolish, Yuusuke stepped up and brushed past Toru who has not budged an inch.
"Excuse me," the spectacled boy mumbled.

Toru didn't say anything for a few seconds until he turned around and called to Yuusuke, "Hey."

The boy turned back to the other youth. "What?"

Toru hesitated. "Nothing."

Yuusuke looked guarded for a moment. Then he asked, "What you said to me before. What do you mean?"

"It's... nothing... Forget about it," Toru said, about to walk away.

"Toru. Wait! I'll be right back!" Yuusuke said hurriedly before he ran off to Eiji's room. After Yuusuke saw that his best-friend was still asleep and quickly dropping off the oranges beside Eiji's bed, he walked back out and saw Toru leaning against the wall of the house, waiting for him.

As Yuusuke walked up to the boy, Toru lit the cigarette between his lips and pushed himself away from the wall. Then he began to walk away and Yuusuke has no other choice but to follow.

After walking for a few minutes, Toru stopped at the residential area's park and took a seat on one of the tables, letting his feet rest on a bench. Yuusuke just stood in front of the boy and rubbed the back of his head nervously, trying to find the words to say while also asking himself why he wanted to talk out the boy who he doesn't normally tolerate at other times.

Finally, the brown-haired boy found his courage and blurted out, "Did Eiji say anything about Amon?"

Toru shook his head. "You did."

Yuusuke gaped at him. "What? When?"

"That night at Shima's. You were drunk," Toru told him.

Yuusuke's face paled for a moment before it turned red. "A-Ah..."

"If you wanna talk about it...?" Toru suggested subtley, as he blew out a puff of smoke from his mouth.

"What is there to talk about?" Yuusuke mumbled, crossing his arms across his chest.

"A lot," the long-haired boy said. Yuusuke heard the tone in Toru's voice and looked up. Seeing what was in brunette's eyes did Yuusuke remember the girl that Toru saved from the streets.
Mai.

"I just...want to forget about it..." Yuusuke said, his voice small.

"Then forget about it," Toru said carelessly.

"It's not that easy," Yuusuke said angrily.

"Why not?"

"Because it makes me afraid! And I hate what he did to me! He raped me and that hurts! I want to kill him but at the same time, I'm just scared!"

Thin plumes of smoke floated from the cigarette dangling from Toru's lips as the dark-haired boy continued to smoke. Toru waited as Yuusuke breathed harshly. The boy's eyes behind the glass lens were glassy from tears of anger and embarassment. And surprisingly, relief. Even if it shamed him to admit at what has happened to someone he wasn't close with, he felt immense relief at having spoken to Toru about his ordeal. With Eiji, he was ashamed but with Toru, it was easy. Yuusuke vaguely guessed that because Toru was closer to a stranger than Eiji was, it was easier to express what he felt without fearing what Toru would think of him.
But even having thought of that, Yuusuke waited with bated breath at what Toru would say to him next.

For his part, Toru sighed. Guessing what has happened to Yuusuke and hearing it from the boy's own lips was a different matter altogether. He dared not say the words earlier, fearing that he had misunderstood, wanting the boy to say it himself but after Yuusuke confirmed his suspicion, it made him wish that his guess had stayed a guess.

Toru took another drag from his cigarette and stood up. "You shouldn't be afraid. You've got Eiji. You know he'll stand by you."

"I don't want him to think me weak..." Yuusuke said softly.

"You're strong where it counts," Toru told him, "Eiji knows that... and so do I."

Without meaning to, Toru stepped up to the boy and lifted a hand to touch the boy's cheek. "I'll stand by you. I promise."

Yuusuke stared at the handsome boy in front of him and blushed. Realising what he has done, Toru stepped back and scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry."

"A-Aa," Yuusuke stuttered, stepping back as well.

"Well..."

"Well..."

Toru nervously lifted his hand that held his cigarette for a smoke and waited. He wanted nothing else than to get out of the embarassing situation but Yuusuke beat him to it and saying, "Um... I gotta go. See you later, Toru."

"Yeah... hey, wait..."

"Hn?"

"You call me Toru when I call you Kasai. Why do you do that? I'd assume you'd be too polite to call me anything but Edogawa."

Yuusuke thought for a while and replied, "Because ... Eiji talked so much about you and even before I met you, I feel as if I already know you. When we were trapped in that elevator, I saw what Eiji said about you was true. You are stubborn, hot headed..."

"Watch it, Yuusuke," Toru growled.

Yuusuke looked at him and smiled. "You called me Yuusuke."

Toru stopped and thought about it. "Yeah, I did."
Then he narrowed his eyes at the boy. "Don't get used to it, Kasai."

Yuusuke chuckled. "I won't. Thanks, Toru. For listening," he said turning to walk away, "Ja!"

Toru lifted his hand up but Yuusuke was already turning his back at him. The long-haired boy watched until the other was gone from his sight before he too walked away from park.
Maybe, it was protective instinct to want to say that to Yuusuke although he wondered at himself whether he felt anything more for the brown-haired boy who was Eiji's friend.

A few metres away, walking at the opposite direction, Yuusuke was thinking about the same thing and one could see a soft smile on the boy's lips which stayed until he laid himself down to bed. The days to come seemed suddenly brighter.

~Owari